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Geopathic Stress and the Optimal Location of Beehives
according to the Principles of Geomancy
Beehive Location by Dowsing the Earth Energy Landscape
Locating a beehive directly over certain geomagnetic lines in the landscape has an immense beneficial impact on the health of the colony.
Dowsers have long observed that all insects including bees will naturally choose to live over earth energy lines that are charged with geopathic stress, whereas most birds and mammals will avoid these areas.
An east African geomantic tradition has it that an ants' nest can be moved to an intended building site and observed: if the ants like it and stay then it is no good for human habitation, if they don't like it and move on then the site is safe for a human building.
Benefits of Beehive Location on Geomagnetic Lines
Professional bee-keeper John Harding has shown (in "Geomagnetic Honeybees (How to create a varroa resistant Honeybee)" that locating beehives over geomagnetically charged lines has resulted in much stronger bee colonies.
Survival in fluctuating weather conditions, resistance to the varroa mite, cleanliness, hygiene and grooming have always been far better in hives sited over these subtle earth energy lines compared with others within the same apiary, and the honey yield/crop is always 2 to 3 times greater.
He has also observed that honeybee colonies located over these geomagnetic lines require more space, and tend to supercede rather than swarm. “Clearly they are in the right place so why swarm unless congested?”
Wherever honeybees have swarmed and settled they are always to be found relocated over one or more geomagnetic lines in the local landscape.
Best Directions for Beehives
John thus suggests fine-tuning the beehive orientation: he believes that magnetic north/south is the normal orientation of honeycomb build when space permits in the wild, and beehives may be best oriented in a north/south direction for the lengthwise honeycomb or frames, with hive entrance and landing board facing south.
If there are multiple hives they can be located with entrances alternating in the direction of north or south (one entrance north with the next beehive entrance south), which will cut down on ‘drifting’ into the wrong hive of flying honeybees returning from foraging.
Ideal placement of beehives directly over lines of geomagnetic charge. The frame direction is oriented North/South. John considers the ideal geomagnetic field at these lines to resonate at between 190 and 250 hertz
Source: ‘Geomagnetic Honeybees’ by John Harding. .
The Downside to Poor Beehive Location
John’s experience is that hives located in the wrong position in neutral areas off the lines are more likely to be varroa infected colonies, and will almost inevitably swarm leaving a weak colony, poor queen cells that may or may not get mated, and eventual death. Chemical treatment only prolongs their fate.
Frames the wrong way i.e. west/east causes stress, miss-shaped comb, frequent swarming and burr comb, as it goes against their natural build format.
Placement as suggested creates a healthy vibrant colony, as it is where they would naturally build in the wild – in cavities in rocks and trees located especially at crossing points of certain geomagnetic lines.
Geomagnetic lines in many cases will vary in width, depth and overlap, and ongoing research is being monitored regarding this phenomenon.
Locating Geomagnetic Lines
Favourable geomagnetic lines in the landscape can most easily be located by: attuning to Bee deva, holding a pair of L-shaped dowsing rods, setting your focus on underground streams, geomagnetic grids and geological faults, and following the rods with the simple intention to find, for example, “geomagnetic lines favourable for honeybees”.
Try it yourself, consult an experienced dowser, or take a day’s training with a local dowsing group (see your national dowsing society).
The most frequently occurring pattern of geomagnetic lines favourable for insect activity appears to be directly over an intersection of two underground water lines that are registering as charged with geopathic stress.
“Sha” is the character in feng shui that represents geopathic stress. The ideogram for sha / killing qi, (top) derives from the sub-characters sha / to decapitate, slay (middle), and huo / fire, ascending flames (bottom): thus a killing fire force coming from the ground
(Ong Hean-Tatt, 1997, p.336; Wieger, 1927, pp.65, 126, 290)
Insects are in dowsing tradition attracted to, and thrive on, these so-called ‘black’ or ‘sha’ streams, i.e. veins of underground water carrying a disturbed information field in their associated earth-energy meridian. The two outer edge lines of any distressed underground water meridian carry the most charge and are most interesting to insects.
Insects Favour Sha Streams
Crossings of the edge lines of two or three ‘sha’ streams are even more interesting, and are usually in nature the most likely site of ant, wasp, or wild bee nests (as well as the most likely position when directly under the bed of a human or other mammal for tumour growth).
Mammals favour sheng streams
‘White’ or ‘sheng’ streams by contrast are underground streams with an untraumatised, clean, healthy information field and barely discernible edge lines, healthy for mammals but not so interesting to insects.
A distinction can be made between the raw piezo-electric effect caused by underground water passing through rock and measurable over all underground streams, and the distressed energy field of a ‘sha’ stream (a “sick” stream, as far as our mammalian experience is concerned).
‘Sha’ streams can derive from natural topography, but are often generated by man-made trauma to the earth's surface by e.g. quarries, cuttings, tunnels, mines and building foundations.
The more insults to the earth’s surface mankind can offer, the better the insect life ought to be doing, so there are obviously a good number of factors at play.
I have long counselled my earth-acupuncture students that when they clean up any sha streams running under a house or barn to help the health of humans and other mammals, they should always check there there are no beehives situated over these lines, as the hives may then cease to thrive and be more vulnerable to being overpowered by disease/mites or predators.
Where to Move the Hives
Any affected beehives could in theory thus be moved to another sha stream crossing point in the garden whose streams do not run through buildings or other mammal-important areas and can thus be left alone for the insects to enjoy.
Ideal beehive location but unfortunate mammalian bed location in strong discharging field zone - crossing of two underground streams, with added Hartmann and Curry double-negative grid crossings; bottom right: charging field - geological fault.
In practice it is better to move the hive slowly, perhaps a yard at a time, or otherwise to transport the hive at least 3 miles away, otherwise all flying honeybees will fly back to the original position if the hive is left within the same vicinity.
A recent dowse for the placement of a number of hives for a college in whose grounds all geopathic stress had been cleared with earth acupuncture several months previously confirmed that the underground water lines still dowsed as the best placement sites (seemingly confirmed by the friendly arrival of a huge bumblebee around our heads just as we reached the right spot), even though these water lines were registering as clean ‘white’ or ‘sheng’ streams.
It appears that the simple piezo-electric effect of water running through rock can generate enough charge to provide a comfortable environment for insect life on the earth's surface vertically above the underground stream, though the more sha the lines contain the more they seem to be preferred.
As for what other types of geopathic stress are of most benefit to bees, this is a subject that merits further research.
I suspect that the edge lines of overground ley-lines when they are running dirty / stressed will also be interesting to insects, also maybe the stressed edge lines of locally-stressed Hartmann or Curry geomagnetic grids, but I have not checked this idea in the field yet.
Similarly the other principal forms of geopathic stress, geological faults and mineral deposits, may also prove to be sometimes interesting to insects though these are usually charging field zones, with reference to nano-Tesla geomagnetometer measurements, compared with the discharging field zones of underground water.
Optimum Geomagnetic Fields
A related area of potentially fruitful further research is the relationship between the various geomagnetometer and scintillometer readings of the emerging science of geobiology. These are machines measuring aspects of geopathic stress such as geomagnetic fields and gamma and neutron particle radiation, as well as the Lecher-antenna dowsed numerical scales.
According to John Harding’s findings, a beehive functions optimally when situated in a 250 Hz geomagnetic field.
The BBC sound engineer Eddie Woods in the 1950`s, using equipment placed inside a honeybee nest, recorded varying rates of vibration within the nest measured in hertz – cycles per second. He measured these as between 190hertz and 250hertz during normal summer conditions, however when swarming this vibration went up to 300hertz.
Perhaps this latter figure represents the raised virgin queen piping noise measured by Daniel Favre (see below), and the lower figures the vibration levels of a healthy hive energised by a ‘sparky’ conformation of underlying earth energy lines?
Forms School – Beehive Location within the Visible Landscape
There are many other well-established priorities to consider in deciding on the ideal location for a beehive.
In fact nearly all these following precepts are identical to the classical Feng Shui geomantic precepts for the optimal location of human dwellings within a landscape.
The key difference between humans and bees is of course that, while human and mammalian health is negatively impacted by exposure to geopathic stress, bee and insect health is positively enhanced by it.
Important Factors in Beehive Location
Common sense and the long experience of many beekeepers suggest that other important factors in hive location include
By tradition honeybee colonies and human homes should not be within 100 yards of each other.
Facing a relatively undisturbed frontage so that the bees’ flight-path in and out of the hive is not disturbed by, nor disturbs, human, animal or mechanical activity
“Stand in front of a horse and behind a beehive”, and ideally at least 100 yards from human habitation (in a tight property a 6’ high fence to the front, at least 3’ from the landing board, can direct the bee-line up over the heads of neighbours);
On firm well-drained soil to prevent the hive sinking into mud in wet weather
Ideally on wooden stands (never metal) at least 18” high (this common 18” height is for the convenience of bee-keepers, as research has shown (Seeley: Honeybee Democracy) that in nature swarms choose nest sites somewhere between 5 to 8 meters above the ground, and sometimes much higher in tropical forests and cliffs – thus keeping hives on flat roofs or balconies is probably preferable
Good local air circulation for ventilation yet sheltered from prevailing winds
Facing south in order to maximise sunshine and align geomagnetically
Unshaded to the east so that the bees start foraging earlier in the day
Positioned in full sun in colder climates, or dappled shade in hotter climates to help the bees regulate hive temperature
Winter frost pockets should be avoided
Facing a nearby water source
Near flowering plants, weeds and shrubs
Easy and secure access to the site for the beekeeper
The hive positioned completely level side-to-side and front to back
Level if using a ‘Harding Debris Floor’ is used, otherwise slightly lower at the front than the back to allow rain water to drain out rather than in. However tilting changes the honeycomb build and creates extra work for the bees as they use true vertical and magnetic north-south when building comb;
Mulch or paving at the hive entrance to prevent grass growing long and impeding ventilation and bee orientation
If multiple hives are present then navigational aids near the entrance such as marker shrubs should be left
Not in an area too overcrowded with other colonies
Not under or over electric power cables – any electrical appliance, including mobile phones sending or receiving signals
Not close to mobile phone masts
Mobile Phones and Bee Colonies
For example, an experiment conducted in the southern Indian state of Kerala found that a sudden fall in the bee population was caused by towers installed across the state by cellphone companies to increase their network.
Dr. Sainuddin Pattazhy who conducted the study concluded
“The electromagnetic waves emitted by the towers crippled the navigational skills of the worker bees that go out to collect nectar from flowers to sustain bee colonies”, (reported by the Press Trust of India news agency, August 2009).
He also found that when a cell phone was kept near a beehive, the worker bees were unable to return, leaving the hives with only the queens and eggs and resulting in the collapse of the colony within ten days.
A similar research project using DECT phones came to a similar conclusion:
Similarly researcher Daniel Favre of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology conducted 83 separate experiments that tested bees’ reactions to a nearby cellphone, and found that honeybees made 10 times the amount of “worker piping” noise when a cell phone made or received a call than they did when the phone was in off or standby mode.
This noise usually signals the bees to leave the hive, but when the reaction is triggered by a cellular signal, this noise represents extreme hive stress. Repeatedly, within two minutes of the phone calls ending, the worker bees calmed down.
There is no doubt that the world-wide increase of bee colony death in recent years is multi-factorial, with the varroa mite, cellphone microwave and other radio-wave electro-smog, neonicotinoid and other pesticides, GM crops and other intensive and monocultural agricultural practices all implicated in the problem
Questions can also be raised regarding the benefits of ‘natural’ or modern ‘rational’ beekeeping management practices such as interference with colony reproduction (swarming) through swarm control, queen breeding, artificial insemination, and drone reduction; as well as questions concerning hive design choice and the influence of the hive shape on colony welfare. For example there could be more research into the benefits of round, catenary, hexagonal and other non-square hive forms.
To this expanding list should be added the unsympathetic siting of beehives by bee-keepers uninformed of the value of following the bees’ example in nature and choosing the best geomantic spots. This is ideally crossing points of underground streams that are registering geopathic stress.
This is patently a topic that merits much more research, but it is already the experience of a small but growing number of beekeepers that the precise siting of beehives according to the geomantic principles outlined above, which take their cues from the natural behaviour of settling swarms, will make a significant difference to the health and strength of honeybee colonies.
by Richard Creightmore, Mornington, February 2014
With many thanks to Jewels Rocka, John Harding and Christian Grutzmacher for their input.
John Harding’s "Geomagnetic Honeybees (How to create a varroa resistant Honeybee)" is available by contacting John at
Things that Might Interest You
Heaven and Earth, Ghosts and Churches
This article tells a story of what can happen when site energetics are unbalanced. This is discussed with a particular reference to Feng Shui and Geomancy.
Understanding the causes of geopathic stress and the affect on your health, relationships and well being
Healing with Dragons - Introduction to Medical Feng Shui
Feng Shui is one of the eight traditional limbs of Chinese medicine, and analysis of a patient’s residence according to Forms School, Compass School and Underground Meridians can be of great diagnostic value
What is Geomancy?
An artificial distinction between Feng Shui and Geomancy has arisen in some parts of the world. “Geomancy” means “divining the earth”
Stone Circle Building
The Creation of Beech Hill Stone Circle. Read all about the process of design and construction of the Stone Circle that was completed in 2001. | <urn:uuid:089c0d5f-70f2-4754-87b5-0b75b6add5cc> | {
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This Surah takes its name from its "first word "Ta Ha". This name, like the names of many other Surahs, is merely symbolic.
Period of Revelation
The period of its revelation is the same as of Surah Maryam. It is just possible that it was sent down during the Migration to Habash or just after it. Anyhow, it is certain that this Surah was revealed before Hadrat Umar embraced Islam.
According to a well known and authentic tradition when Hadrat Umar set out to kill the Holy Prophet, he met a certain person, who said, "Before you do anything else, you should know that your own sister and brother-in-law have embraced Islam" Hearing this, he directly went to the house of his sister. There he found his sister, Fatimah, and his brother-in-law, Said bin Zaid, learning the contents of a scroll from Khabbab bin Art. When Fatimah saw him coming she hid the scroll at once, but Hadrat Umar had heard the recital, so he began to interrogate them about it. Then he began to thrash his brother-in-law, and wounded his sister, who tried to protect him. At last both of them confessed, "We have become Muslims; you may do whatever you like." As Hadrat Umar was moved to see blood running down from her head, he said, "Show me the thing you were reading." The sister asked him to promise on oath that he would not tear it, and added, "You cannot touch it unless you have a bath." Accordingly, Hadrat Umar took his bath and when he began to read the scroll, which contained this Surah, he spontaneously spoke out, "What an excellent thing!" At this Hadrat Khabbab, who had hidden himself at the sound of his footsteps, came out of his hiding and said, "By God, I have high expectations that Allah will get great service from you to propagate the Message of His Prophet, for just yesterday I heard the Holy Prophet praying to Allah, 'My Lord, make Abul Hakam bin Hisham (Abu Jahl) or Umar bin Khattab a supporter of Islam. So O Umar, turn to Allah, turn to Allah." These words proved to be so persuasive that he at once accompanied Hadrat Khabbab and went to the Holy Prophet to embrace Islam. This happened a short time after the Migration to Habash.
Theme and Topics of Discussion
This Surah begins with the enunciation of the object of the Revelation of the Qur'an to this effect:"O Muhammad, this Quran has not been sent down to you to put you unnecessarily to some great affliction. It does not demand from you to perform the impossible task of imbuing the hearts of the obdurate disbelievers with Faith. It is merely an admonition meant to guide on to the Right Path those who fear God and want to save themselves from His punishment. This Quran is the Word of the Master of the earth and the heavens and God-head belongs to Him alone:These two facts are eternal whether one believes them or not."
After this introduction, the Surah abruptly moves on to relate the story of Prophet Moses without any apparent relevancy and without even hinting at its applicability to the events of the period. However, if we read between the lines, we realize that the discourse is addressed very relevantly to the people of Makkah. But before we explain the hidden meaning of the discourse, we must keep in view the fact that the Arabs in general acknowledged Moses as a Prophet of God. This was so because they had "been influenced by the large number of the Jews around them and by" the neighboring Christian kingdoms. Now let us state those things which are hidden between the lines of the story:
- Allah does not appoint a Prophet by the beat of drums or My
celebrating the occasion in a regular and formal ceremony, as if to
say, "We are appointing such and such a person as Our Prophet from
today." On the contrary, He bestows Prophethood in a confidential
manner just as He did in the case of Prophet Moses. Therefore you
should not consider it strange if Hadrat Muhammad has been appointed
as a Prophet all of a sudden and without any public proclamation.
- The fundamental principles presented by Prophet Muhammad -- Tauhid and
the Hereafter -- are just the same as were taught to Prophet Moses at the
time of his appointment.
- Prophet Muhammad has been made the standard
bearer of the Message of the Truth among the people of the Quraish all
by himself without material provisions, just as Prophet Moses was
entrusted with the Mission to go to a tyrant king like Pharaoh and ask
him to give up his attitude of rebellion. These are the mysterious
ways of Allah. He catches hold of a way farer of Midian on his way to
Egypt and says, "Go and fight with the greatest tyrant of the time."
He did not provide him with armies and provisions for this Mission.
The only thing He did was to appoint his brother as his assistant at
- You, O People of Makkah, should note it well that
Pharaoh employed the same devices against Prophet Moses as you are
employing against Prophet Muhammad -- frivolous objections, accusations,
and cruel persecutions. You should know that Allah's Prophet came out
victorious over Pharaoh, who possessed large armies and war equipments.
Incidentally, the Muslims have been consoled and comforted, though not
in so many words, that they should not be afraid of fighting with the
Quraish against fearful odds, for the mission which is supported by
Allah comes out victorious in the end. At the same time, the Muslims
have been exhorted to follow the excellent example of the magicians of
Egypt, who remained steadfast in their Faith, though Pharaoh
threatened them with horrible vengeance.
- An incident from the story of the Israelites has been cited to show in what ridiculous manner the idolization of false gods and goddesses starts and that the Prophets of God do not tolerate even the slightest tinge of this preposterous practice. Likewise, Prophet Muhammad is following the former Prophets in opposing shirk and idol worship today.
Thus, the story of Moses has been used to throw light on all those matters which were connected with the conflict between the Holy Prophet and the Quraish. Then at the end of the story, the. Quraish have been briefly admonished, as if to say, "The Quran has been sent down in your tongue for your own good. If you listen to it and follow its admonition, you will be doing so for your own good but if you reject it, you will yourselves meet with an evil end."
After this the story of Prophet Adam has been related, as if to tell the Quraish, "The way you are following is the way of Satan, whereas the right way for a man is to follow his father Adam. He was beguiled by Satan, but when he realized his error, he plainly confessed it and repented and again turned back to the service of Allah and won His favour. On the other hand, if a person follows Satan and sticks to his error obdurately in spite of admonition, he does harm to himself alone like Satan."
In the end, the Holy Prophet and the Muslims have been advised not to be impatient in regard to the punishment to the disbelievers, as if to say, "Allah has His Own scheme concerning them. He does not seize them at once but gives them sufficient respite. Therefore you should not grow impatient but bear the persecutions with fortitude and go on conveying the Message."
In this connection, great emphasis has been laid on Salat so that it may create in the believers the virtues of patience, forbearance, contentment, resignation to the will of God and self analysis for these are greatly needed in the service of the Message of the Truth. | <urn:uuid:5bfc8aaf-53e0-4f9f-a5d8-02c3dfc5e88a> | {
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Access to Microfinance Services
Affordable Seed Funding
Populations forced to flee conflict, persecution or natural disasters lose many of their assets and possessions during the scramble to safety. The most vulnerable invariably need immediate, and often long-term, social assistance.
Some displaced communities set up their own mechanisms of pooled savings and loans which enable members to borrow money at agreed terms and interest rates. More formal types of financial services can improve the lives of forcibly displaced people by empowering them to diversify their income sources, meet basic needs and cope with emergencies. While accessing financial services does not guarantee increased income, it can reduce the dependency on borrowing from locals or wealthier refugees at high interest rates. It can also prevent sales of precious household assets in times of need.
Microfinance is one element in the facilitation of refugee self-sufficiency and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods. Successful microfinance projects tend to be complemented by other interventions such as basic financial education or business training, which UNHCR and its partners help provide. | <urn:uuid:012758dc-c1ae-4882-a91e-0baef119f303> | {
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The Voyager 2 spacecraft, which has been in operation since 1977 and is the only spacecraft to have ever visited Uranus and Neptune, is currently making its way to interstellar space, where its twin spacecraft, Voyager 1, has resided since August 2012. During its travels through the outer solar system, Voyager 2 visited all four gas giant planets, and also discovered and photographed many of the planets' moons.
The spacecraft's flyby of Neptune in 1989 set it on a course below the elliptic plane that will eventually take it to interstellar space. In 1998, engineers switched off the spacecraft's nonessential instruments to conserve power. Data from at least some of the six instruments still in operation should be received until at least 2025.
- Imaging system
- Infrared interferometer spectrometer
- Ultraviolet spectrometer
- Triaxial fluxgate magnetometer
- Plasma spectrometer
- Low-energy charged particles detectors
- Cosmic Ray System (CRS)
- Photopolarimeter System (PPS)
- Plasma Wave System (PWS) | <urn:uuid:73adb324-eff4-416d-8f44-d72f6f8b9c32> | {
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UCLA scientists have discovered a variant of a gene called CACNA1G that may increase children's risk of developing autism, particularly boys. The journal Molecular Psychiatry publishes the findings in its May 19 advance online edition.
Classic autism strikes four times as many boys as girls. When including the entire spectrum of autism disorders, such as the milder Asperger syndrome, boys are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed than girls.
"This is a strong finding," said Dr. Stanley Nelson, professor of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study's principal investigator. "No one has scrutinized the role that CACNA1G plays in autism.
"We found that a common form of the gene occurs more frequently in the DNA of families that have two or more sons affected by autism but no affected daughters," he said. "Our study may explain why boys are more susceptible to the disorder than girls."
Nelson and his colleagues zeroed in on a region of chromosome 17 that previous studies have tied to autism. The research team scoured the DNA of 1,046 members of families with at least two sons affected by autism for common gene variants.
A variant is a gene that has undergone subtle changes from the normal DNA yet is shared by a significant portion of the population.
The researchers used tools of the Human Genome Project to scan thousands of variants across all genes in the suspicious region of the chromosome and to pluck out the most common forms.
"We wanted to identify what was happening in this region of chromosome 17 that boosts autism risk," Nelson said. "When the same genetic markers kept cropping up in a single region of the DNA, we knew we had uncovered a big clue."
The researchers traced the genetic markers to CACNA1G, which helps move calcium between cells. They discovered that the gene has a common variant that appears in the DNA of nearly 40 percent of the population.
"This alternate form of CACNA1G consistently increased the correlation to autism spectrum disorders, suggesting that inheriting the gene may heighten a child's risk of developing autism," Nelson said.
How the gene contributes to higher autism risk remains unclear, but Nelson emphasized that it cannot be considered a risk factor on its own.
"This variant is a single piece of the puzzle," he said. "We need a larger sample size to identify all of the genes involved in autism and to solve the whole puzzle of this disease."
The UCLA team's next step will be to sequence the gene in people who possess the altered variant in order to identify the exact change that increases autism risk. These subtle variations offer potential markers for the real mutation causing greater susceptibility to the disease.
Nelson's co-authors included Samuel Strom, Jennifer Stone, John ten Bosch, Barry Merriman, Rita Cantor and Daniel Geschwind, all of UCLA. The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and Cure Autism Now, which merged with Autism Speaks in 2007.
The DNA samples and clinical data were provided by families who donated blood to the Los Angeles–based Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE), a program created and funded by Cure Autism Now.
"When parents like me first formed AGRE, this was our dream, that talented scientists would use our gene bank to collaborate and bring us closer to understanding autism," said Jon Shestack, co-founder of Cure Autism Now and a board member of Autism Speaks. "AGRE has played an important role in almost every major autism genetics paper in the past five years."
Autism is a complex brain disorder that strikes in early childhood. The condition disrupts a child's ability to communicate and develop social relationships and is often accompanied by acute behavioral challenges. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in 150 American children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The diagnosis of autism has expanded tenfold in the last decade.
For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom. | <urn:uuid:592e86a5-d548-4c4d-afa0-cbcdd6895703> | {
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ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about what factors increase the chance of developing MDS. To see other pages, use the menu on the side of your screen.
A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease. Although risk factors often influence the development of MDS, most do not directly cause MDS. Some people with several risk factors never develop MDS, while others with no known risk factors do. However, knowing your risk factors and talking about them with your doctor may help you make more informed lifestyle and health care choices.
The following factors may raise a person’s risk of developing MDS:
Age. MDS occurs most often in people older than 60 and is less common in younger people. MDS is rare in children.
Gender. Men develop MDS more often than women.
Exposure to environmental/occupational hazards. Long-term exposure to benzene or other toxins, such as tobacco smoke and insecticides, may increase the risk of developing MDS.
Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Approximately 20% of people who develop MDS previously received chemotherapy or radiation therapy. This type of MDS is called secondary MDS (see Subtypes).
Genetics. There are no known direct genetic risk factors associated with MDS. An increased risk of developing MDS is rarely inherited (passed from generation to generation in a family).
To continue reading this guide, use the menu on the side of your screen to select another section. | <urn:uuid:8cadf79c-b667-4e65-80d4-75534a6e4f3e> | {
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The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to gradually reduce the amount of sodium in foods over a period of ten years. But the FDA said in a statement that the report – which quoted “FDA sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the initiative had not been formally announced” – is false.
“The FDA is not currently working on regulations nor have they made a decision to regulate sodium content in foods at this time,” the agency said. “Over the coming weeks, the FDA will more thoroughly review the recommendations of the IOM report and build plans for how the FDA can continue to work with other federal agencies, public health and consumer groups, and the food industry to support the reduction of sodium levels in the food supply.”
The IOM report was undertaken at government’s behest, and concluded that government strategies to reduce sodium intake to recommended levels are needed.
The institute also reported that industry efforts to reduce sodium have not gone far enough.
“While numerous stakeholders have initiated voluntary efforts to reduce sodium consumption in the United States during the past 40 years, they have not succeeded,” the report said. “Challenges arise because salt — the primary source of sodium in the diet — and other sodium-containing compounds often are used to enhance the flavor of foods, and high amounts are found in processed foods and foods prepared in restaurants. Sodium also is added to enhance texture or to serve as a preservative or thickener.”
The report said that a coordinated effort is needed to reduce sodium across the board to “create a level playing field for the food industry”. Without major change, it claims that hypertension and cardiovascular disease rates will continue to rise.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) said it welcomed the IOM report, and underlined that the food industry has been working for years to introduce low- and no-sodium products.
“The food industry is committed to continue to reduce the sodium content in thousands of products to help consumers reach the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendation of no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. And we look forward to working with the US Food and Drug Administration to develop a national sodium reduction strategy that will help consumers,” the GMA said.
Meanwhile, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urged the government to implement the IOM’s recommendations, and industry to continue reducing sodium while the FDA decides how to respond.
According to figures from the US Department of Agriculture, Americans currently consume about 4,000mg of sodium a day – far more than the limit recommended by public health experts, of 2,300mg. The IOM and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put average consumption at 3,400mg a day, or about 50 percent more than the recommended maximum. | <urn:uuid:2359dbee-7fc9-4763-bcfc-f4267fcd9ed3> | {
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The Pharos Lighthouse is formally recorded as the Seventh Wonder of the World.
Constructed in 285 BC, the Pharos Lighthouse served as the navigational guidance to all vessels approaching the coast of Egypt.
From its square base, to its octagonal center, to its circular crown, the lighthouse stood 100 meters tall and anchored the island of Pharos, situated in front of the city of Alexandria.
Legend has it that, in a land devoid of forests, the beacon that guided ships was fueled with a perpetually burning wood fire.
And to extend the signal many miles beyond convention, a series of giant mirrors and lenses were created to amplify light to incredible distances.
Until its destruction in the 15th century, the Pharos Lighthouse served its world as the most prolific development in navigational technology in recorded history. It was the beacon of hope for sailors and seamen.
Today, it is our inspiration.
We are Pharos. | <urn:uuid:9556addf-59b5-4095-992b-385ec0408abb> | {
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Statistics for Analyzing Cross-Border Production Schemes in Southeast Asia
Technicians and workers assemble electronic products for export at a special economic zone in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Photo: ADB.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has published economic statistics for analyzing cross-border production arrangements in Southeast Asian countries, including those in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
Economic Indicators for Southeastern Asia and the Pacific: Input–Output Tables provides supply and use tables and input-output tables, which are needed for more systematic and comprehensive approaches to data management, economic analysis, and policy research. It includes data on four GMS countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The economic indicators were computed from ADB’s multi-regional input–output database, which serves the increasing demand for structured, relevant, timely, and accurate data, especially for research on global value chains.
The input–output analysis framework is designed to illustrate a system of trading activities and production-sharing arrangements at the local, regional, and global levels. It consists of transaction flows across industries that both produce goods and services (outputs) and consume goods and services (inputs). It also identifies the value-added by industry and final demand. | <urn:uuid:c94c09c2-0c54-4b22-9ed7-b1b2d203f891> | {
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Exquisitely illustrated, this field guide to the common birds and mammals found in Andhra Pradesh describes 157 birds and 42 mammals that commonly occur in the state, with details of their characters, habits and habitat.
The book also has information on:
- Ecosystems found in the state
- Areas listed as protected, with details on the location, accessibility, and the special features of the sanctuaries and national parks
- Checklists of birds from a few bird areas in the state
- The protected status of birds and mammals of Andhra Pradesh
The simple writing style and fully coloured and hand illustrated format of The common Birds and Animals of Andhra Pradesh will appeal to high-school students, amateur naturalists, tourists and first-time visitors to wilderness areas.
Paperback. 164 pages. | <urn:uuid:42b2a7ee-36fb-4887-a81e-57e2a4a2d561> | {
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Identifying the Educated Person
Education looked at as a social enterprise deemed essential for human survival, is a formal system extending from nursery school to prestigious universities. This is so in every civilised country in the world. Having gone through the system from infancy to youth and maturity, and acquired a formal education culminating in graduate and post-graduate qualifications, it is fair to assume that the end product would be an educated person. However, this is not always so. The word ‘product’ is unlikely to be associated with a truly educated person. It has the connotations of a process conducted on factory premises. This process, at best, is training for a specific purpose, such as a job, profession, or career. It also has associations of standardisation, which may cater to the ambitions of the vast majority of people. But the truly educated person, is his own person, and is unique. He or she stands out from the crowd. He/she is likely to be well-trained to hold a position of responsibility within an organisation, but that is not what defines him/her.
What distinguishes the truly educated person is his/her independence of thought and strength of character. The mass market does not necessarily enthral such people. For such persons education does not stop with the acquisition of degrees. Education for them is a lifelong process. An educated person is unlikely to be a celebrity. They do not seek publicity at any cost. They are persons of integrity. They usually abide by the society’s norms, but will always challenge them, if they are unjust, or indefensible. However badly or indifferently they were treated during their lifetime, posterity will always accord them their due. Think of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King,and Nelson Mandela. Of course great intellects of the calibre of Newton and Einstein are among the educated. So are those who developed their aesthetic sensibilities through art, music, drama and literature. Who would forget Michael Angelo, Beethoven, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy? What about the philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle? Innovators in any field or discipline, including religious leaders like Buddha and Confucius, were not only among the educated, but they were also great educators.
That brings us to the role of the teacher in education. The teacher does not know it all. As Galileo said, ‘You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.’ Any other form of teaching would be indoctrination. Telling others what to think is not teaching. On the other hand, as Epictetus, the Greek philosopher said, ‘Only the educated are free.’ Teaching is a collaborative effort as exemplified by the Socratic dialogue. People learn not only from teachers at a school or university but from almost everybody around them starting with parents, close relatives, even neighbours, and continuing their education through books and other media. The educated person is all too aware, that he/she knows very little, and therefore is always prepared to learn.
Increasingly, we are told that we live in a knowledge society, the post-capitalist society. This means that there are such sheer volumes of information now than ever there was on the planet. All this information is embodied in books, databanks, and software programmes, but their possession is not equated with education. It is the educated person who embodies and manages such knowledge in the interests of total global well being. As Bill Gates has demonstrated, with knowledge as the key resource, the educated person faces new demands, challenges, commitments, and responsibilities. We are not talking of ‘polymaths’ here, which is a concept from the past, perhaps only applicable to Leonardo da Vinci. The truly educated person now has to be a citizen of the world with deep and genuine empathy for others from quite different cultural milieu. It helps if the educated person travels to other parts of the world and gains first-hand experience of conditions far from home. ‘Think globally, act locally’ is likely to be the motto of today’s educated person.
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Most recently updated on April 10, 2013
Good nutrition is an important part of your child’s treatment. Try to deviate as little as possible from your child’s normal diet. Your child’s body needs to heal and gain strength in order to resume normal activities and undergo any treatments that may be planned.
Changes in or difficulties with nutrition can occur in children with tumors. After surgery, children may experience temporary nausea and vomiting simply from the procedure itself. Taking steroids can cause a dramatic increase in appetite. Children undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy often develop irregular eating patterns or nausea or complain that their foods taste metallic, too salty, or too sweet, or even have no taste. They may lose their appetite, have a feeling of fullness, or have diarrhea, cramps, constipation, or dry and/or sore throat or mouth. Cancer can place extra nutritional demands on the body and change how nutrients are used.
If any of these changes cause your child continuous appetite problems, call your child’s doctor or nurse. They may prescribe antinausea medications (Zofran, for example). At this point, the heath care professional may arrange an appointment with a dietitian, who will become a member of your child’s health care team. Nutritional supplements are occasionally recommended, but the best approach is usually a well-balanced diet worked out with an experienced dietitian to fit your child’s needs and tastes.
When your child isn’t eating well, you’re less likely to overreact if you understand that there will be “off” eating days. Appetite will probably improve over time, and an “on” day is an opportunity for you to increase the nutritional value of the foods you’re preparing. Food is closely tied to emotions, so try to avoid confrontations over meals.
Some alternative treatments include special strict diets for which healing claims are made. Remember that eating favorite foods may be the only way to provide nutrition and pleasure during this time. Children may especially need the calories and protein that are forbidden by alternative treatments. Be sure to check with your child’s doctor or nurse before giving your child vitamins, herbs, or alternative supplements or starting a new diet regimen. Certain compounds can interfere with cancer treatment and can cause harm.
- Related Topics
- Brain Tumor Facts and Glossary
- Research News and Reports
- CBTF Publications | <urn:uuid:32e2001d-7737-443b-b87a-a1d88cc80362> | {
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Hurricane Agnes Hits the Eastern Seaboard
About Hurricane Agnes which hit the eastern seaboard in 1972 causing disaster and destruction in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington D.c.
In typical hurricane fashion, Agnes began its short but active life in a playful rather than vindictive mood. Then while growing and absorbing moisture from the saturated eastern section of the country, it turned vicious and struck southwest Virginia. In 4 days it loosed on Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and New York 28.1 trillion gallons of water--enough to fill a lake 2,000' deep by 67 mi. square. Agnes was the most costly disaster in history.
When: June 21, 1972.
Where: Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The Loss: 118 people dead; 330,000 homeless; 2,400 farm buildings destroyed; 5,800 businesses devastated; 25 cities in 142 counties damaged or destroyed. Crop loss $132 million. Property damage above $3 billion.
The Disaster: By Wednesday, June 21, Agnes was approaching southwest Virginia, bloated with moisture and bent on creating havoc. It started when Agnes dumped excessive moisture into the already full James River, causing it to overflow and flood Richmond's water filtration plant. Portable filtration units were trucked in from Camp A. P. Hill to supply drinking water for 250,000 in the capital. A number of storm-battered bridges collapsed. In Alexandria, Va., a shopping center burned. Fire trucks couldn't get to it because streets were blocked with debris. In Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna River flood-crested to destroy the executive mansion of Gov. Milton Shapp.
Navy helicopters were dispatched to Pottstown, 35 mi. west of Philadelphia, to rescue victims from rooftops. Wilkes-Barre, an industrial city thought to be safe, took the brunt of the storm; its dikes didn't hold. The Times Leader and Evening News editor, Jim Lee, was quoted as saying: "We couldn't bring ourselves to believe that the river [the Susquehanna] might break through." But it did just that on June 22, pushing "safe dikes" aside like they were made of sand. In Wilkes-Barre and Wyoming Valley, 13,000 homes were lost plus bridges and commercial buildings. Over 200,000 people were in need of rescue and relief. The heart of Wilkes-Barre became a polluted, foul-smelling lake. Wilkes College was flooded and severed electric wires started many fires that burned out of control; fire apparatus couldn't reach these.
A historic graveyard in a northern suburb gave up its caskets, sending them bobbing over floodwaters like surfboards. Looting followed the destruction of business districts and terrified rodents attacked humans. Public utilities were out of commission and manpower to do what was needed was lacking. Shock numbed the senses of survivors. It was too much, too sudden, for people to comprehend.
Aftermath: A million and a half pounds of food was air-dropped in Wyoming Valley. Clean-up work went on for months. Damage to U.S. and interstate highways ran $186 million, and to other road systems $382 million. The destruction was mind-boggling.
|You Are Here: Trivia-Library Home » Natural Disasters: Earthquakes, Fires, Floods, Volcanoes » Hurricane Agnes Hits the Eastern Seaboard|
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Effective Monetary Demand of the Population
Effective Monetary Demand of the Population
the collective expression of the personal needs of people who have money at their disposal with which to purchase goods and services. Effective monetary demand arises with the appearance of a simple commodity economy and, consequently, commodity-money relations. It is conditioned by the socioeconomic nature and structure of the aggregate social product, by the magnitude of national income and the mode of income distribution, and by the level of prosperity among the people. Effective monetary demand can be met in proportion to a society’s level of economic and cultural development.
In economic terms, the reality of effective monetary demand is determined by the availability of money to the population. K. Marx pointed out: “As to demand, it will only be effective on condition that it has the means of exchange at its disposal. These means, in turn, are themselves products, marketable values” (K. Marx and F. Engels, Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 4, p. 79). The effective monetary demand is counterposed to that of supply, “the product available in the market, or that which can be delivered to it” (ibid., vol. 25, part 1, p. 203). Supply and demand influence each other. In their contradiction is expressed the contradiction between the exchange value and use value of a commodity and the contradiction between the two stages of the process of exchange—buying and selling. The sale of a commodity takes the form of offering use values, and buying, the form of realizing effective monetary demand.
Under capitalism, the relationship between effective monetary demand and the supply of commodities at each given moment forms spontaneously and influences the actual level of market prices. The movement of effective monetary demand is determined by the fundamental economic law of capitalism and is subject to sharp fluctuations in the course of the industrial cycle (seeCAPITALIST CYCLE). The tendency toward unrestricted expansion of production is in contradiction to the limited amount of effective monetary demand generated by the workers, who are the principal purchasers of consumer goods. In the drive for maximum profit under the conditions of a fierce competitive struggle, the capitalists increase the degree of exploitation. As a result, workers’ wages come to represent a smaller fraction of national income, and this leads to a decline in effective monetary demand. Increased taxes also contribute to a reduction in the effective monetary demand of the workers, as do inflation, higher prices, the growth of unemployment, and the decline of real wages (seeABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE DETERIORATION OF THE PROLETARIAT’S SITUATION). The lag of effective monetary demand relative to the possibilities for expanding capitalist production is one manifestation of the basic contradiction of capitalism: the contradiction between the social character of production and the private capitalist character of appropriation, which is a general cause of economic crises.
Under socialism, effective monetary demand of the population operates as social demand, which socialist production seeks to satisfy to the fullest extent (seeFUNDAMENTAL ECONOMIC LAW OF SOCIALISM). In a developed socialist society, the necessary conditions for realizing this aim are created. The workers’ real income and material prosperity are defined to a significant extent by the degree to which effective monetary demand is satisfied. For this reason, the balancing of supply and demand is an important element in the functioning of the fundamental economic law of socialism. The volume and structure of effective monetary demand depend directly upon the monetary income of the population—that is, on wages and cash payments from the social consumption funds. They also depend on the quantity of goods produced and services provided and the level of retail prices. On the basis of the continuous rise in socialist production and increase in the productivity of social labor, the real income of the population rises, and effective monetary demand systematically increases. The volume of monetary incomes, the level and correlation of prices in a socialist society, and the production of consumer goods are determined on a planned basis. This planning is applied both on the national and regional scale and on the level of individual commodity groups. The balance of the monetary income and expenditure of the population is important in the planned regulation of effective monetary demand and commodity turnover. Effective monetary demand is extremely dynamic and depends not only upon production and economic factors but also upon specific regional, national, psychological, and other factors. Therefore, in order to ensure the formation of the effective monetary demand of the population according to plan and to provide for the fullest satisfaction of this demand, effective demand must be constantly studied, and changes taken into account.
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By Justin Grimes
Statistician, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation at IMLS
Public libraries play an important role in any community, but when that community is small or geographically isolated, the role they play as an essential community anchor institution comes into full view. Having grown up in Appalachia, I know firsthand the impact that public libraries can make in rural communities.
But when I say rural, what does that mean? What does it mean to be a rural library? What defines “ruralness”? This is an interesting question we must answer when exploring rural issues because the term “rural” can mean different things to different people. The federal government itself has multiple definitions of rural, depending on the program. The United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services all have different methods for determining “rural” areas. Although this may seem trivial or overly complicated, it is important because the way things are classified can impact where, how, and to whom assistance is provided.
So how does IMLS define rural libraries? Since 2008, IMLS has used a method developed by colleagues at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in collaboration with the Bureau of the Census that breaks down geographic areas into four major categories: city, suburb, town, and rural. Each of these areas is further divided into three subcategories. Under this locale code scheme, rural is defined as any area outside of a U.S. Census defined urban area – which is defined as an area of high population density.
IMLS chose this classification scheme for a variety of reasons:
- It provides a more detailed, granular classification of geographic areas as opposed to other simpler classification methods.
- It better aligns our efforts with other federal agencies and their data, i.e., Department of Education, U.S. Census Bureau.
- It capitalizes on modern advances in geocoding technology.
Check out the map below to see how the United States looks under this locale code classification.
When IMLS needs to determine a public library’s locale code we first convert the street address of a public library into a geographic coordinate system to determine its longitude and latitude. A geographic coordinate system allows us to represent every location on the planet as a set of numbers and letters (i.e., longitude and latitude). We then use geospatial data from the U.S. Census to determine a public library’s proximity to U.S. Census-defined urban areas. This allows us to classify all 8,956 public libraries and all 16,415 public library outlets (that are not book mobiles). Seems like a lot of work, but don’t worry about me; most of this process is done automagically in a matter of minutes.
So just how many public libraries are located in rural areas according to this method? There are 4,190 public libraries located in rural areas or approximately 46.8% of all public libraries. Given that only 19.3% of the population lives in a rural area which itself covers 95% of the total land area in the United States, this is pretty impressive. This means that thanks to the ubiquitous nature of public libraries they are able to serve an amazing 96.24% of the total U.S. population!
If you would like to read more about rural libraries, check out our full report on “The State of Small and Rural Libraries in the United States,” and if you’d like to learn more about how IMLS collects data, check out the Public Libraries Survey documentation. | <urn:uuid:7eb71736-65ae-427d-885c-dd8c2b597b88> | {
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Benefits of Biobased Products:
Biobased products as defined by the USDA rely on plant and/or animal materials; are sustainable, renewable resources; and generally do not contain toxins, synthetics or environmentally damaging materials.
- Generally healthier and safer for the user
Manufacturers and end-users reduce regulatory problems by replacing hazardous chemicals listed by the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory. Manufacturers and end-users improve worker safety by using biobased products. Biobased produces are usually less toxic, less flammable and less corrosive than petroleum-based products.
- Generally healthier for the environment
Using biobased products decreases the amount of upstream pollution generated from the extraction and processing of crude oil into chemicals. Most biobased products are biodegradable and safe to dispose of.
- Reduced dependence on imported oil
Biobased products are becoming increasingly competitive with petroleum-based products. Manufacturers and end-users can also save money by avoiding special permits, compliance penalties and disposal cost.
- Extremely helpful to the rural economy
Manufacturing biobased products stimulates rural economic development. Agricultural crops efficiently convert into higher value end-products creating greater income opportunities for farmers and rural communities. | <urn:uuid:23e66d80-8d94-4e6f-9e3b-1f981590f57e> | {
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Farm to Factory
by Phillip Clancy, Next Instruments, Australia
IR analysers are now available for use in all aspects of food production; right from ‘farm to factory.’ Australian company Next Instruments specialises in designing and manufacturing NIR analysers for use by farmers, grain traders, grain processors and food manufacturers. The challenge has been to design instrumentation that is powerful yet simple to operate and maintain. Firstly, farmers do often have science and engineering degrees, but their primary job is to grow and reap their crops. Therefore, the tools that they use to assist them in this process need to be easy to use, rugged and reliable. Figure 1: Schematic Secondly, grain buyers and of Diode Array Spectrometer grain processing companies typically have a laboratory, or at least an office to operate instruments. However the instruments still have to perform the tasks quickly and simply; Lamp with the information generated easily accessible Sample in this digital age. And finally, food manufacturers want to use information to improve their product quality and their operational productivity. NIR analysers can play a useful role in the process of taking grains and oil seeds from the farm to the supermarket shelves.
Next Instruments’ broad range of NIR analysers is based on a simple diode array spectrometer that has a relatively small footprint, has no moving parts, is fairly low cost to manufacture; whilst still being both rugged and reliable. Figure 1 shows a schematic of this diode array spectrometer. Light from a tungsten halogen lamp shines through a sample of grains, powder, slurry or liquid. The light energy is absorbed by the protein, moisture, oil and sugars present in the sample. The transmitted light is focused into the spectrometer where the light gets separated into its component wavelengths. The separated light, called the NIR spectrum (see figure 2), is projected onto a silicon photodiode array detector that is also 38 | September 2016 - Milling and Grain
used in photocopiers and flatbed scanners. The detectors in the array measure the intensity of the light that hits each receptor, with protein absorbing at a specific wavelength - 1020nm, whilst water absorbs at 970nm, oil at 905nm and sugars at 820nm. By measuring the amount of light that hits each detector element, then the amount of light absorbed at each wavelength can be calculated. This allows the instrument to measure the concentration of each component. The more light that is absorbed, the higher the concentration. Typically this simple diode array spectrometer typically weighs approximately 7kg and is the size of a lunch box. The spectrometer can be fitted to an instrument chassis with the appropriate sampling mechanism to make a NIR analyser for many different applications.
On Farm NIR Analysers
The CropScan range of On Farm NIR Analyser includes the CropScan 1000 and 3000 configurations. The CropScan 1000G (see figure 3) is a portable whole grain analyser designed to provide farmers with the ability to measure their grains before the truck leaves the farm gate. The 1000G can be run from a Slit Diffraction grating car adapter and suits operation in a utility vehicle, a tractor or a combine. Grain can be analysed in less than 60 seconds for protein, moisture and oil. The farmer can use the information to segregate the crop by protein and oil in order to capture ‘higher-grade’ premiums. The superior accuracy of the NIR for measuring moisture provides farmers with the ability to know when to strip and when to dry their grains. The CropScan 3000H On Combine Analyser is the only proven whole grain analyser to operate on virtually any combine harvester. The 3000H consists of three main parts. 1) Remote Sampling Head, 2) NIR Spectrometer and 3) Touch Screen PC Controller (See figure 4). Grain travelling up the clean grain elevator on the side of the combine falls into the Remote Sampling Head where it is trapped for several seconds while the NIR spectrum is collected. The light that passes through the sample is transmitted back to the NIR Spectrometer located inside the combine’s cabin. The | <urn:uuid:6b096078-65c0-4a86-8b82-289b1437cc60> | {
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Analyzing extended sources with ASCA data
Dear ASCA PIs and ASCA archival investigators,
As you may know, the point spread function (PSF) of ASCA's X-ray
telescopes (XRT) has a relatively sharp core (FWHM of 50 arcsec) but
broad wings (half-power diameter of 3 arcmin). In addition, the GIS has
its own PSF which is comparable in width to that of the XRT but of a
different shape (a Gaussian with a sigma of 30 arcsec at ~6 keV and a
For analyzing point sources, the practical consequence of the broad PSF
is that a generous extraction radius should be used to capture most of
the counts (e.g., 4 arcmin for the SIS, 6 arcmin for the GIS).
For extended sources, however, the astrophysical implications of the
broad PSF are more complicated and harder to deal with. If you are
analyzing an extended source, then please note the following effects
which, if not taken into account, could lead to spurious scientific
results. It is important to realise that these effects are not
calibration uncertainties or instrumental defects, but features
intrinsic to the design of the XRT which emphasizes effective area as
much as angular resolution.
1. General redistribution of counts.
The XRT PSF has a sharp core and broad wings. If your extended source
has a brightness distribution which is peaked on the same scale as
the PSF, then the outer parts of the image will contain a significant
proportion of counts from the core. For example, the moderate
redshift cluster A2218 has a core radius of about 1 arcmin. If the
image is divided into annuli (3 arcmin wide centered on the core)
then the second annulus (between 3 and 6 arcmin) will contain more
emission from the cluster core than from the parts of the cluster
which actually lie within the annulus.
2. XRT vignetting
The effect described above will be compounded by telescope vignetting
if the core of your object is close the optical axis of the XRT.
3. Energy dependence of the XRT PSF
The XRT scatters high-energy X-rays more than low-energy X-rays. In
other words, the PSF broadens with increasing energy. One consequence
of this effect is to introduce spurious (outwardly increasing)
temperature gradients in isothermal distributions. And if there is a
negative temperature gradient present, its size will appear reduced.
4. Off-axis ARF (Auxiliary Response File)
If an off-axis region is specified and an ARF constructed for it then
if this region really contains counts from closer to the optical axis
then the ARF will not be correct and the difference will be in the
sense of increasing the measured temperature.
5. Energy dependence of the GIS PSF
Unlike the SIS, the GIS has an intrinsic PSF which is of comparable
size to that of the XRT. The energy dependence of the GIS PSF is a
In view of these effects, extracting spatially resolved spectral
information from ASCA observations is not trivial, especially in the
case of sources which are of order 10 arcminutes or less in size. It is
likely, therefore, that extensions to present analysis techniques are
needed to address the issue.
The ASCA instrument teams are calibrating the PSF as accurately and
completely as practicable. To this end, the ASCA Team recently conducted
a series of supplementary calibration observations of the bright X-ray
binary Cygnus X-1. Images extracted from these observations, which
placed the target at various positions in the field of view, are
available for several energy bands in the directories:
caldb/data/asca/gis/bcf/psf (unsmoothed datasets)
caldb/data/asca/xrt/bcf/psf (smoothed, i.e., GIS-compensated)
They are accessible via anonymous FTP at legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov. The
ray-tracing PSFs which have been available since March 1993 have been
In general, dealing with the effects of the broad PSF will involve
deconvolution, the complexity of which will depend on the particular
case in question. Modifications are being made to XSPEC that will
provide the potential for dealing with this problem by allowing
models to read information from the headers of PHA files. The GOF
staff will be available to advise users in generating the appropriate
deconvolution software for other, more complex cases.
The ASCA Team is also producing a PSF generating FTOOL called MAKE_PSF
which will output a PSF for arbitrary energy and position. MAKE_PSF will
be included in the next-but-one FTOOLS release in Spring or early
If you have questions or comments about any aspect of this message,
please send email to:
Charles Day and the ASCA GOF | <urn:uuid:47468059-e6bd-4ae2-9347-4dc53b6a5dbf> | {
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Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, Tribal Nations
Animal Waste Management in Hawaii
According to state agricultural statistics, milk was one of Hawaii's top five farm products in 1994. In 1998, Hawaii was home to 50 dairy operations that produced 15 million gallons of milk (NASS, USDA 1999). Most of these operations had less than 30 cows per operation. As of October 2001, (Dott, 2001), the number of dairies has decreased significantly in Hawaii. Now, only 2 dairies are considered CAFOs. In addition to dairies, Hawaii is home to poultry and swine operations that may also be considered CAFOs.
Responsibility for animal waste management in Hawaii is divided between two branches of the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH). The Clean Water Branch issues individual NPDES permits for CAFOs. The Wastewater Branch reviews plans and specifications for animal feeding operations (AFOs) and conducts complaint based inspections.
In 1996, HDOH issued its "Guidelines for Livestock Waste Management", which addressed elements of the EPA/USDA Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations. HDOH uses the Guidelines to review all new livestock waste management projects that require HDOH approval. The Guidelines also help HDOH reduce the amount of pollution produced by existing livestock operations.
HDOH has funded a two-year, EPA sponsored 319(h) non-point source project to educate livestock producers about proper animal waste management. The project provided an inventory Hawaii's AFOs and conduct educational workshops on every major island. The project also provided technical assistance in pollution prevention, conduct on-site assessments of specific operations, and sponsor discussions regarding markets for animal waste products.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service - Hawaii Office is also educating Hawaii's communities on proper animal waste management.
The following links may also provide helpful information about state, county and local activities to support effective animal waste management:
|Pacific Southwest NewsroomPacific Southwest Programs||Grants & FundingUS-Mexico Border||News & EventsCareers||About EPA Region 9 (Pacific Southwest)A-Z Index| | <urn:uuid:947b42a7-42bd-495f-a9f6-3d0e018133c4> | {
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A genetic study of the wild horses of B.C.’s Chilcotin region is offering a new and surprising explanation of their origins.
The study found that while it is possible other wild horses encountered in B.C. by early Europeans were descendants of those introduced by the Spanish to the Americas in the early 1500s, new DNA tests on wild horses of the Chilcotin’s Brittany Triangle show no link to those ancient herds.
Rather than being related to the Spanish breeds, which were assumed to have worked their way northward up the continent through trading, the small B.C. herd showed strong ties to the Canadian horse — a unique breed to Canada that had its origins in France — and, to a lesser extent, the Yakut horse from Russia’s eastern Siberia.
The remote 155,000-hectare Brittany Triangle is a large plateau and mountainous area about 120 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake. The 150 to 215 horses living in the area are considered to be the most isolated of the approximately 1,000 wild horses in the entire Chilcotin.
“This population gives evidence that it is isolated,” confirmed Gus Cothran, lead author of the study and an authority on horse genetics with the Department of Veterinary Integrative Bioscience at Texas A&M University. “It has not had a lot of input in recent times.”
The study’s co-author is Wayne McCrory, a West Kootenays biologist who worked on behalf of Valhalla Wilderness Society, Friends of Nemaiah Valley, and the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation. "The results pose more questions than they answer,” he said.
The forerunners of today’s domestic horse evolved in North America but disappeared from the continent about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, the study states.
Explorer Alexander Mackenzie did not record the presence of horses when he travelled on foot through the region to the Pacific Ocean at Bella Coola in 1793, but Simon Fraser did in 1808 when he explored what would become the Fraser River.
Parliament officially recognized the Canadian horse as the national horse of Canada through legislation in 2002. King Louis XIV of France shipped the horses from his own stables in the mid-17th century to help with the settlement of New France, the North American colony. Their reputation for strength also made them popular as a military horse, and they were used to haul artillery into battle. The Canadian horse is related to heavy breeds such as Belgian, Percheron, Breton and Dales Pony, and may have contributed to development of the Morgan in the U.S. From its small foundation, the Canadian horse flourished to an estimated 30,000 animals by 1784, but today numbers only about 2,500.
“It’s a rare breed now,” Cothran said in an interview Monday. “The fact that (Chilcotin horses) show resemblance to those may well indicate that some of the first European horses to get into that area were, in fact, from eastern Canada rather than from the U.S.”
Roxanne Salinas is a Mission resident who has owned horses for more than 40 years, including Canadian horses for 15 years, and who has researched the history of the breed and has had articles published in equine magazines in B.C. and Quebec.
Responding to the study, she said that Canadian stallions were brought westward starting in the late 1800s and through the 1900s to add "stamina, substance and size to western ranch stock." That included the Gang Ranch, south of Williams Lake, and, later, a ranch at Clearwater Lake at Kleena Kleene in the Chilcotin.
It's possible that the "predominance of Canadian DNA could be attributed to fairly recent sources of 'old blood' from the same relatively small gene pool," Salinas said.
The Yakut is a smaller, compact horse with short wide feet adapted for living above the Arctic Circle. It has a thick mane, tail and very hairy winter coat.
“That was surprising,” Cothran said of the discovery. “The Yakut is a very odd breed. The females do not have external nipples because they would freeze off. The foals just have to press their mouths up against the breast tissue area on the females to nurse.”
How did Yakut DNA get into the wild horses of the Chilcotin?
Aboriginal trades routes have long connected the Chilcotin to the coast, raising the prospect of acquiring Yakut horses from Russian fur-trading settlements along what is today the Alaska Panhandle bordering northwestern B.C. In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to America.
The problem is, the study found “very little evidence” to support such a theory.
McCrory noted: “We have one First Nations oral report of a band of Shetland pony-sized horses that once lived on the east side of the upper Taseko (outside the Brittany) that were shot off by a forest-service control operation.”
Chief Roger William of the Xeni Gwet’in said his people historically traded far and wide, so it is difficult to say exactly where the first horses arrived from.
What he does know is that horses soon became integral to his people, including for hunting, recreation, business, and travel. “That was our vehicle,” he said, noting his people maintain an aboriginal right to capture them as needed. “Until I started going to school, I thought horses had been with us forever.”
And while aboriginal use of horses diminished with the advent of motor vehicles, that is beginning to change again, especially among younger people. “Now it’s coming back again,” he said.
The Yakut horse requires further study, including more hair samples shipped over from Siberia. Cothran said another option is to conduct “whole genome sequencing” on all three of the horse types to gain a more specific understanding of their genetic history.
The study involved 99 hair samples obtained within the Brittany Triangle, and analysis of both microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA (inherited only through the mother).
Of the horses sampled, each had "an average of 70 per cent resemblance" to the Canadian horse, compared with about 10 per cent to the Yakut, he said.
Microsatellites are short segments of DNA that have a repeated sequence marker, while mitochondria are structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use.
Earlier genetic research based on eight blood samples from Brittany wild horses did find evidence of “old-Spanish” ancestry, something the latest DNA testing did not. “It’s very rare in any horse breeds today,” Cochran said. “It suggests there was at least some Spanish there.”
The Chilcotin people may have acquired horses through trading as early as 1740, the study suggested. | <urn:uuid:140f634e-685b-427d-873c-a28f7eb007ac> | {
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Stevens, who spoke Arabic, took up his appointment as Ambassador to Libya in the Spring of this year.
What might the government have done to prevent the death of Stevens and three other diplomats?
The Daily Beast met Stevens in a dreary New York hotel room.
When that happened, Stevens had mostly retired from public life.
Russell said of the 2012 Benghazi embassy attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Stevens.
Stevens seemed disquieted and looked around him suspiciously.
This symbol also appears on a tablet discovered by Mr Stevens at Palenque.
Captain Stevens, I would like to have you do a little detached duty.
General Stevens's connection with the tea party is related on a previous page.
There were also a couple of bottles of vodka, or Russian whiskey, upon which Stevens seized eagerly.
American biologist who identified the role of X and Y chromosomes in determining the sex of an organism. Stevens studied the chromosomes of mealworm beetles, first establishing that chromosomes are inherited in pairs. She later showed that eggs fertilized by X-carrying sperm produced female offspring, while Y-carrying sperm produced male offspring. She extended this work to studies of sex determination in various plants and insects. | <urn:uuid:6032d0aa-7bb1-4e14-8025-5df000307dbc> | {
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Bug of the Week
Goldenrod Crab Spider (Family Thomisidae)
One of the first rules of bug finding is, “Look on flowers.” As it happens, ox-eye daisies, those familiar, non-native (and in some instances, invasive) flowers are in full bloom. Yarrow, which is listed in most wildflower guides as alien but which probably is not, is just starting. Both plants are lovers of the sun, of disturbed ground, and therefore of road edges. Both are bug-magnets, attracting herbivore and carnivore alike. Both are members of the Aster/Composite family, and each “flower head” is actually a whole bouquet (the white “petals” of a daisy are actually separate flowers called ray flowers, and the yellow center is made up of many disc flowers).
Daisies and yarrow are places where bugs come to graze and be grazed upon. The BugLady is thrilled to see them crowded with invertebrates now, after the sere summer of 2012. Ditto the milkweeds, covered with insects and not even in bloom yet. Go outside!
The BugLady cheerfully admits to a bias toward crab spiders (Mom really does love them best), so her daisy and yarrow shots are spider-heavy. The spider with the pink/red stripes is the Goldenrod Crab spider (Misumena vatia), who has the ability to turn yellow (achingly slowly) when she sits on a yellow flower. The name of the game is camouflage. Crab spiders practice sexual dimorphism, with males considerably smaller and leaner than females. Look for them on the abdomens of the females in the last two pictures. The little guy on the goatbeard seeds (like an extreme dandelion) is also a male.
No life histories or ecological lessons or further explanations needed today – the Album of Crab Spiders celebrates these beautiful creatures at work and at play.
Let us prey.
P.S. The BugLady is not certain about the timing of next week’s BOTW. The people from the Computer Museum are coming to claim her present machine, which is happily running Windows XP and Office 2003. Expect whining as this old dog attempts some new tricks. | <urn:uuid:2372f178-9110-40d6-9ccc-c9674b7bbf33> | {
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Published April 24, 2014
By Devin Corbitt, News Editor
Last Thursday, the second graders of Sparta Elementary School in Belton began putting the information they are learning in the classroom into practice to help a species in need by planting a garden.
Second grade teacher Beth Duncan hopes to transform the garden into a way station for Monarch butterflies as they migrate north for the summer.
“When I saw that the Monarch butterflies were in jeopardy, that’s where my initial idea came from,” Duncan said. “Last year teaching science, we taught about the life cycles of butterflies. I saw the beds outside and thought, ‘What a great way to teach the kids and preserve the habitat for the butterflies.’ Butterflies are such a passion for me.”
This project comes at a perfect time, as the students are eagerly absorbing information about plant and animal life cycles in the classroom.
“They love it,” Duncan said. “They were so excited about having the opportunity. All morning they kept talking about how excited they were about planting a garden, and even their excitement when they saw things like grubs in the dirt, they thought was really neat.”
In order to begin the way station, Duncan visited monarchwatch.org and ordered Monarch Waystation Seed Kits, which provided her and the students with packets containing Monarch-attracting flower seeds.
“Monarch Watch monitors the migration routes and how many (butterflies) are coming up through that to make sure we protect them as much as we can,” Duncan said. “You have to have 10 plants, and then you take a picture of it and send in the information to get it certified.”
The kits include three types of milkweed, as well as six varieties of general nectar flowers.
The plants will take two to four weeks to bloom and should be ready just in time for the Monarchs’ arrival in Bell County. In the mean time, the second grade staff has designed scientific lesson plans centered around the gardening project, including learning how to tend the garden.
For more information on Monarch butterflies or starting a way station, visit monarchwatch.org. | <urn:uuid:0d4aaa18-4a77-4492-8d07-1b1805986088> | {
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Touchless sensing is a technology that facilitates interaction with a device without the need for physical contact or touch with the use of infrared sensors. Sensors that are capable of emitting and receiving waves in the form of heat are known as infrared sensors. The thermal radiation emitted by objects in the infrared spectrum is invisible to the human eye. These sensors are able to detect infrared radiation. There are two types of infrared sensors: proximity sensors and motion sensors.
The two major markets of touchless sensing are touchless sanitary equipment, and touchless biometric. The touch-less sanitary equipment market consists of major products such as touchless faucets, soap dispensers, trash cans, hand dryers, paper towel dispensers, and flushes. The touchless biometric market consists of mainly face, iris, voice, and touchless fingerprint biometrics.
Orbis (U.S.), EMX Inc. (U.S.), and Wilcoxon Research (U.S.) are the major players in the global IR-based touchless sensing market.
Along with market data, you can also customize MMM assessments that meet your company’s specific requirements. Customize this report on the global IR-based touchless sensing market to get comprehensive industry standards and a deep-dive analysis of the following parameters.
- Usage pattern of infrared sensors in major applications such as sanitary and biometric equipment
- Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the portfolio of the aforementioned applications of each company mapped by infrared sensor technology
- End-user adoption rate analysis of the application by segment
- Product-specific and region-specific market share analysis of top players
- Key developments of each top player that affect market dynamics
- Consumption pattern of infrared sensors in applications such as sanitary and biometric equipment based on major geographies
- Revenue and shipment data of infrared sensors segmented on the basis of applications and geographies
Please fill in the form below to receive a free copy of the Summary of this Report
Please visit http://www.micromarketmonitor.com/custom-research-services.html to specify your custom Research Requirement | <urn:uuid:a72600b0-e9e4-49d6-b062-00176ca62e1f> | {
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Moon Light World Map
The map below shows where the Moon is visible from the Earth, depending on weather conditions and moon phases.
UTC time = Friday, March 8, 2013 at 7:44:00 PM.
= The Sun's position directly overhead (zenith) in relation to an observer.
= The Moon's position at its zenith in relation to an observer (Moon phase is not shown).
Fraction of moon illuminated: 11%
|Previous phase||Third Quarter||Monday, March 4, 2013 at 9:54 PM|
|Next phase||New Moon||Monday, March 11, 2013 at 7:53 PM|
Position of the Moon
On Friday, March 8, 2013 at 19:44:00 UTC the Moon is at its zenith at
The ground speed of the movement is currently 435.97 meters/second, 1569.5 km/hour, 975.2 miles/hour or 847.5 knots. The table below shows the Moon position compared to the time and date above:
|Time||Longitude difference||Latitude difference||Total|
|1 minute||0° 14' 27.7"||16.25 mi||West||0° 00' 09.5"||0.18 mi||North||16.25 mi|
|1 hour||14° 27' 51.2"||975.07 mi||West||0° 09' 40.9"||11.09 mi||North||975.44 mi|
|24 hours||12° 36' 26.0"||849.91 mi||East||4° 09' 35.0"||285.91 mi||North||902.70 mi|
Locations with the moon near zenith
The following table shows 10 locations with moon near zenith position in the sky.
|Vaitape (Bora Bora)||Fri 9:44 AM||393 km||244 miles||212 nm||S|
|Papeete||Fri 9:44 AM||560 km||348 miles||302 nm||SSE|
|Rarotonga||Fri 9:44 AM||1250 km||777 miles||675 nm||SW|
|Kiritimati||Sat 9:44 AM||1750 km||1088 miles||945 nm||NNW|
|Alofi||Fri 8:44 AM||2054 km||1276 miles||1109 nm||WSW|
|Fakaofo||Sat 8:44 AM||2158 km||1341 miles||1165 nm||W|
|Apia *||Sat 9:44 AM||2167 km||1347 miles||1170 nm||W|
|Adamstown||Fri 11:44 AM||2641 km||1641 miles||1426 nm||SE|
|Nukualofa||Sat 8:44 AM||2649 km||1646 miles||1430 nm||WSW|
|Baker Island||Fri 7:44 AM||3090 km||1920 miles||1668 nm||WNW|
- Seasons Calculator
- Moon Calculator – Find times for moonrise, moonset and more
- Moon Phase Calculator/Calendar – Calculate moon phases for any year
- Sunrise Calculator – Find times for sunrise, sunset and more
Related Time Zone Tools
- The World Clock – Current times around the world
- Personal World Clock – Shows just the cities you need
- Meeting Planner – Find a suitable time for an international meeting
- Time Zone Converter – If it is 3 pm in New York, what time is it in Sydney?
- Event Time Announcer/Fixed Time – Show local times worldwide for your event. | <urn:uuid:9130f3b7-4cfc-4f11-a0c9-99d06627ece6> | {
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Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (en-doh-SKAH-pik REH-troh-grayd koh-LAN-jee-oh-PANG-kree-uh-TAH-gruh-fee) (ERCP) enables the physician to diagnose problems in the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, and pancreas.
The liver is a large organ that, among other things, makes a liquid called bile that helps with digestion. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that stores bile until it is needed for digestion. The bile ducts are tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine. These ducts are sometimes called the biliary tree. The pancreas is a large gland that produces substances that help with digestion and hormones such as insulin.
ERCP is used primarily to diagnose and treat conditions of the bile ducts, including gallstones, inflammatory strictures (scars), leaks (from trauma and surgery), and cancer.
ERCP combines the use of x-rays and an endoscope, which is a long, flexible, lighted tube. Through the endoscope, the physician can see the inside of the stomach and duodenum, and inject dyes into the ducts in the biliary tree and pancreas so they can be seen on x-rays.
For the procedure, you will be sedated and placed on an examining table in an x-ray room. The physician will insert a scope into your mouth and then guide it through your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum until it reaches the spot where the ducts of the biliary tree and pancreas open into the duodenum.
The physician will pass a small plastic catheter through the scope and into the bile duct and pancreatic duct. Dye will be injected into the ducts and x-rays will be taken. If the exam shows a gallstone or narrowing of the ducts, the physician can insert instruments into the scope to remove the gallstone or open the narrowing. If needed, biopsies can be obtained.
ERCP is generally a safe procedure. However, there are occasionally complications. Rarely there can be bleeding, perforation (poking a hole in the bile duct), over sedation, and allergic reaction to medications. Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) can occur as well in about five percent of cases and can result in post-operative abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and need for hospitalization. It usually resolves in 3-5 days, but rarely can be severe and require prolonged hospitalization.
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3D Printing in Sport - Overcoming Limitations & Enhancing Performance.
Developing applications for 3D printing in sport is a fascinating and exciting journey that we are currently embracing. This was no more apparent than with the passing of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where Scott Crowley used a pair of 3D printed gloves in the wheel chair segment of the paratriathlon event. The customization capabilities of 3D printing in sport make this an attractive form of manufacturing, one which allows athletes from a variety of sports to solve problems and challenges they face.
From giving people the opportunity to part take to advancing elite athletes in their field, 3D printing is having a fascinating impact on many of the sports we love. The ability to develop highly customized structures that are strong, light weight and flexible has been a huge motivation for athletes to engage with 3D technology. Recently, rugby player Dan Biggar and welsh fly-half, finally destroyed his kicking T which has been with him throughout his youth and professional career (15 years!). Instead of using the Tee I designed a few months previously in TinkerCAD, Biggar teamed up with Cardiff University to 3D scan his old one to create an exact replica. An interesting story which also highlights the exact replication properties which 3D printing makes achievable.
3D Printing Sports Equipment
3D printing has developed and improved the protective equipment available to athletes in a wide range of sports. Cascade, a leading helmets producer in Lacrosse have implemented 3D printing into their prototyping capabilities. With brain injuries in sports and the long terms implications of multiple concussions being a hot topic of discussion, it will be interesting to see what 3D Printing can do to further address this issue.
As we have seen the cost of 3D printers fall, they have become more accessible to a greater number of people. This has led to involvement growth and innovations within the field. One particular area important to 3D Printed sports equipment is how 3D materials have developed. At 3D Print Works we manufacture filaments like PLA and ABS which are more focused on prototyping, however material design has evolved in recent years, meaning components are stronger, more durable and light weight. This is important because sports take place in variety of extreme weather conditions and are exposed to large amount of stress and collisions. This means materials have to have the properties to withstand these conditions. Scanning capabilities also allow body parts to be scanned to aid injury prevention through customized protective equipment.
All in all the future is bright for 3D printing and sports, as it breaks down existing limitations and enhances performance. We at 3D Print works are excited to see what the future holds! | <urn:uuid:c142faac-d176-47dc-9b1b-d4fa38e5f1f5> | {
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The CSharpCalc showcase
Strange attractors in 3D
This showcase displays views of two famous chaotic attractors, the
Lorenz attractor and the
Roessler attractor using two different visualization methods.
The left column displays the 3D space curves as point clouds. The right column displays the same space curve as 3D object which also visualizes the tangent
plane in each point.
Electric multipole fields
Electric fields play an important role in many areas of
physics. This showcase visualizes the dipole and the hexapole fields with three different sampling rates and two different sampling lattices.
The field strengths were calculated by linear superpositioning.
The Mandelbrot set
The Mandelbrot set was named after the mathematician Benoit B.
Mandelbrot. It is well known for its beautiful and self similar structures and the premier example for fractals. This showcase
displays six examples in high resolution using the bronze and silver colormaps.
Discrete function maps
Three examples of bifurcation diagrams (also known as orbit diagrams) related to important iterated function maps,
the Henon map,
the logistic map and
the Gauss iterated map.
These maps are frequently discussed examples for systems exhibiting bifurcation and chaotic behavior.
Visual examples of scientific computing
Ising model free energy surface
The Ising model can be approximately solved using the
mean-field approach. This visual shows the free energy of the mean field approximation as a function of the magnetisation and temperature.
The function surface is textured by color coded phase information and by the magnetization curve through the mapping of dynamically
The 3D risk matrix
The concept of risk matrices is being widely used in
risk management as well as in the political and economic analysis of regions. This visual shows bleeding edge research results from an ongoing
project on the topic. The three-dimensional visualization of political and ecomonic stability helps summarizing and communicating complex
Graph plots of a selection of sophisticated
The examples shown are mathematically similar to the famous Lissajous curves. All plots display the (periodic) curves
for parameter values between 0 and 360 degrees.
The 2D Ising model
A visualization of high resolution configurations of the 2D
Ising model including two animations of a simulated
annealing of the spin model. These animations are not correct physically but they illustrate the transition from the disorder phase
to the ordered phase. In a physically correct animation the transition happens very fast owing to the steep ascent of the order parameter
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Fitria, Mukibatul (2007) MAKNA SUNGAI BAGI MASYARAKAT DI SEKITARALIRAN SUNGAI(Studi Tentang Interaksi Sosial Masyarakat di Sekitar Aliran Sungai Babakan Desa Tegal Gondo Dusun Gondang Kecamatan Karang Ploso Malang). Other thesis, University of Muhammadiyah Malang.
Download (43kB) | Preview
Community wash and bathe in the river in general is because they do not have bathrooms or wells in their homes. There are habits of the people who already have a bathroom, water pumps and even wells, but still perform these activities in a river. If we look at actions and behaviors that society, it can not be assessed and tracked with our pure reason. When viewed from the medical side, their behavior is not healthy. But when viewed from a sociological terms, they perform activities of bathing and washing in the river because the river is the center of the patterns of social relationships. This phenomenon occurs in the hamlet village Gondang Tegal Gondo, because the river is why they can interact with other individuals and express themselves. Why in the era of globalization where information is so easily transmit the sciences and new technologies there are still habits like that? With the existence of such phenomena that the research is finally there. This is a descriptive qualitative research to explore and then get the data related to this thesis entitled "The meaning of Rivers for People Around the River Flow (Studies in Social Interaction Watershed Babakan About Tegal Gondo Hamlet Village Gondang District Karang Malang Ploso). The purpose of this study was to determine how the meaning of the river for the people that are around alairan river. And is expected to be useful both theoretically as a confirmation and expected to be deepened again and also the methodology for information for researchers or other parties who require a nexus in its further development. This research was conducted in the village of Tegal Gondo Ploso Dusun Karang Malang District Gondang. Sample collection technique Snowball sampling informants in a way that is by starting from the initial information and will roll a snowball rolling laksa and will stop when it gets a certain point. After the data obtained from interviews and observation then, the data will be analyzed by qualitative descriptive analysis, the data will be described qualitatively. The final result of data obtained from interviews and observations about communities around the river, they wash in the river because the river is the center of the pattern of social relationships. And actions that they do based on something meaning that for them, as if to gather and interact with other residents. Meaning that causes them to do so, they gain from the social interaction of the community.
|Item Type:||Thesis (Other)|
|Subjects:||H Social Sciences > HM Sociology|
|Divisions:||Faculty of Social and Political Science > Department of Sociology|
|Depositing User:||Zainul Afandi|
|Date Deposited:||02 Jun 2012 09:48|
|Last Modified:||02 Jun 2012 09:48|
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Pesticide residue risks recalculated
By Dennis T. Avery
For the past 15 years, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been trying to scare U.S. consumers about pesticide residues on the fruits and vegetables in supermarkets. The EWG annually selects a "dirty dozen" produce items that they say pose the most pesticide residue danger to consumers and their kids.
Now, however, two courageous researchers at the University of California/Davis say they've also tested the fruits and vegetables -- and found the pesticide residues on these produce items are essentially a million times below the "No Effect" levels found in the animal toxicity tests. That's how much safety factor is built into the government's reference doses and Acceptable Daily Intake recommendations.
The EWG says consumers can lower their pesticide consumption by nearly four-fifths by buying expensive organic produce. Drs. Carl Winter and Josh Katz say the EWG methods don't even measure consumer exposure against the Acceptable Daily Intake. Such findings "suggest that the potential consumer risks are negligible and cast doubts as to how consumers avoiding conventional forms of fresh produce are improving their health status."
The most potent risk that Winter and Katz found in the "Dirty Dozen" was an exposure only 50 times lower than the Reference Dose for methamidophos -- but that reference dose includes a 1,000–fold uncertainty factor for extrapolating the results of the most sensitive animal studies. For three commodities -- blueberries, cherries, and kale -- the Reference Doses were more than 30,000 times higher than the exposure estimates for all of the ten most frequently detected pesticides on those commodities.
Nor did the research team find much merit in the obvious EWG efforts to target commodities that showed traces of several pesticides. "Such effects still require exposure . . . to be at a level of high enough risk to cause a biological effect. Results from this study strongly suggest that consumer exposure to the ten most common pesticides found on the "Dirty Dozen" produce items are several orders of magnitude below levels required to cause a biological effect in any test animals." Thus the likelihood of the various residues "synergizing" into high risks is also negligible. The research team seems to think the multiple-exposure items were included because they sound scarier to food-buyers.
This study says "buying organic" won't much reduce your risks of getting cancer. In fact, Dr. Bruce Ames, also of the University of California/Berkeley, who received the National Medal of Science from President Clinton, says 99.9 percent of the carcinogens we swallow are natural compounds produced naturally by our fruits and vegetables to help protect them as they grow. Ames says "going organic" will reduce your exposure to carcinogens by about one ten-thousandth of one percent. More to the point, Dr. Ames says the human body shrugs off life's minor insults, such as the tiny amount of carcinogenic psoralens in your celery stalk. And be aware that organic produce also contains those same natural pesticides.
If you are still worried, stomach cancer seems not to be triggered by ingesting pesticide residue, but by a stomach bacteria (helicobacter pylori) infection. H. pylori is found in about 2/3 of all persons worldwide and is usually harmless. However, infected bacterium is spread through contaminated water and poor living conditions. This is why stomach cancer rates have dropped drastically in First World countries as sanitation improves.
Why does your newspaper not tell you about studies like these? Ask them.
Dennis T. Avery, a senior fellow for the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., is an environmental economist. He was formerly a senior analyst for the Department of State. He is co-author, with S. Fred Singer, of Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years. Readers may write to him at PO Box 202 Churchville, VA 2442; email to [email protected]. Visit our website at www. cgfi.org. | <urn:uuid:a9ebfff9-de81-4f34-b762-b2b496c350ef> | {
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Hot Compression Properties
A new ASTM International standard will provide gasket manufacturers with a test for measuring creep and compression that can be used for R&D and material comparisons, and as a quality assurance tool.
F2837, Test Method for Hot Compression Properties of Gasket Materials, was developed by Subcommittee F03.40 on Chemical Test Methods, under the jurisdiction of ASTM International Committee F03 on Gaskets.
“Some nonmetallic gasket materials can creep or deform while under a constant load, which is an important material characteristic, especially when temperature is involved,” says James Lingenfelder, technical manager, Gasket Resources Inc., and a member of F03.
According to Lingenfelder, F2837 covers three different steps in the testing process:
Creep of a material under room temperature is measured while increasing the load on a material to a predetermined level;
While under a constant load, the temperature is increased at a given rate over a given time period, with the thickness over this period being measured; and
The compression set of the material is measured at the end of the test at room temperature.
Future work on this standard could include a test that has both loading and unloading, which would be helpful in providing data for finite element analysis.
“F2837 can be used for material characteristics for finite element analysis, and certainly anyone interested is welcome to participate,” says Lingenfelder. “Along the same line, we are currently working on another standard on load deflection curves. Again, this is an important material characteristic and also has applications for finite element analysis.”
Technical Information: James Lingenfelder, Gasket Resources Inc., Houston, Texas
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I’m frequently impressed with the projects coming out of DARPA, but most of the stories I’ve come across have been about their advances in robotics and defense systems. This new technology is designed specifically to save lives of wounded soldiers and civilians, and it does it with a simple spray foam.
A foam-based technology has been developed which is designed to fill in the spaces in an injured victim’s abdominal cavity, creating pressure in the voids, and substantially reducing blood loss from internal bleeding. In fact, early tests have shown a six-fold reduction in blood loss, and a dramatic increase in 3-hour survival rates from 8 percent to 72 percent. The foam was developed for DARPA’s Wound Stasis program by Arsenal Medical.
The foam is injected into the patient’s abdomen using a two-part compound that expands when mixed together. The foam then conforms to the inside of the body cavity, slowing internal bleeding. Once the patient can be stabilized at a hospital, the foam can be removed by a surgeon.
While the idea of filling my body cavities with something similar to that spray foam insulation really sounds awful, I suppose I’d subject myself to it if it meant the difference between living and bleeding to death. | <urn:uuid:886501be-9cbc-4ed5-b596-cf060b719fd1> | {
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|Deciduous and evergreen Pear trees look good year-round. Foliage on deciduous trees turns bright autumn colors. After their glossy green leaves drop, spring flowers bloom. Fruiting types produce Pears in fall. Like the deciduous varieties, evergreen Pears offer a spectacular spring bloom. Use as shade or street trees. Grow small types in containers. They adapt to most soils, including clay. Pears are also tolerant of air pollution, drought and wind. Prone to fireblight (especially evergreens), Pear psylla and scab. For optimum fruit crops, schedule regular fertilizing, pruning, dormant oil spraying and supplemental watering in arid climates. Prune in later winter or early spring to shape or to remove damaged or crowded branches.
One of the Pears frequently found in fancy fruit gift packs, its large, greenish-yellow fruit is blushed with red. Flesh has a tender, buttery texture. Fruit ripens late and tastes best after a period of cold storage. Plant near a pollinator such as 'Bartlett'.
Attributes - Pyrus 'Doyenne De Comice'
Plant Type: Tree
Bloom Season: Early Spring through Mid Spring
Flower Color: Yellow
Height: 30 ft. to 40 ft.
Width: 25 ft.
Sunlight: Full Sun
Climate: Zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
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Each boat, depending on its design and intended use, will require different types of propulsion. Most recreational boats in the United States today use outboard engines and are less than twenty feet in length.
Outboard motors are popular and quite useful on smaller boats. They are light and powerful, and modern outboards are extremely quiet. The outboard provides a completely self-contained propulsion system from engine to transmission to shaft and propeller. They are most often mounted directly on the transom of the boat, however, you may find boat designs incorporating a motor well or bracket on which the motor mounts. The entire motor swivels to provide easy steering as the turning propeller pushes the stern.
Outboard motors come in a large range of sizes, horsepower, and power sources. These include: electric or trolling motors, gasoline-and-oil mixture two stroke engines, gasoline-only four stroke engines, and diesel engines.
A sterndrive combines an inboard engine and a lower outboard drive unit attached near the base of the transom. They are generally heavier than outboards. This lower unit resembles the bottom part or lower unit of an outboard motor. The outdrive or lower unit part swivels from side to side to provide for the steering of the boat. It can also be tilted up and down to provide boat trim while underway.
I/Os come in both gasoline and diesel models and larger ones generally have more power than outboards. Because the main power supply is similar to a small automobile engine, easily accessible and more powerful, stern drives are often favored over outboards especially on larger motorboats.
The engine is mounted inside the watercraft toward the center to give good weight distribution. They are most popular on motorboats over twenty six feet in length.
The engine connects directly to a transmission out of which comes a shaft which goes through the hull of the boat as it passes through the stuffing box. The shaft is then attached to a propeller that turns to propel the boat. Because the shaft is fixed and does not swivel from side to side, a rudder is mounted behind the shaft and propeller to deflect the flow of water and provide steering direction.
Jet drives are usually inboard engines that take in water that flows through a pump powered by an impeller. PWCs are usually equipped with a jet drive unit. These propulsion systems do not have propellers, which are a potential danger to people in the water and to marine life. The water is then discharged at high pressure through a nozzle, propelling the boat forward. The nozzle swivels to provide steering to the boat. Most personal watercraft use jet drives.
Note: When power is not being applied, a jet driven watercraft loses its steering because it is the stream of water that steers the boat. Keep hands, feet and hair away from the pump intake and do not operate a jet driven watercraft in shallow water.
Choosing the right type of propulsion system for your boat is very important. Both its weight and horsepower will have an impact on the performance of your boat. If your boat is underpowered, its engine will work hard continually and will provide poor performance. If your boat is overpowered, it may exceed the safe operating speed that was designed for the watercraft. | <urn:uuid:02de65c9-55cf-42ed-b2b0-bdcc1f8475fc> | {
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Teens and Teeth Whitening
Having a bright, white smile is a real confidence-booster for teens. While there are many consumer based products available, kiosks and salons that offer treatments, a better option entails consulting with licensed professionals to ensure that teens get the bests results.
Importance of Diagnosing Potential Problems:
Natural teeth are rarely completely white. Teeth may darken for a variety of reasons that include antibiotic therapy, injury or vitamin supplements. Sometimes, perceived discoloration is a natural component of tooth coloring. Cavities, cracked teeth or gum disease must also be treated properly before clients undergo whitening. A dentist should perform a thorough evaluation, which determines if teens are good candidates for treatments that create whiter teeth. Before having aesthetic orthodontics treatment, teens should have a complete set of permanent teeth and be anywhere from 12 to 14 years of age. Baby teeth and adult teeth do not have the same thickness of enamel and attempting to whiten the different teeth types may cause uneven results.
There are a number of methods that teens should implement to reduce the risk of endangering a natural Hollywood smile.
- Avoid smoking
- Do not drink coffee, soda or tea or eat foods that cause staining.
- If choosing to drink darkly colored coffee, tea or soda, use a straw to minimize contact with teeth.
- Brush teeth regularly
- If wearing braces, clean teeth thoroughly. Food often becomes trapped between the appliances and the teeth, which causes discoloration and cavities.
Professional Teeth Whitening:
The chemicals used in teeth-whitening products may cause soft tissue irritation, discomfort and gum damage. In addition to the treatments provided in an office setting, physicians may prescribe custom fitting bleaching trays that ensure minimal contact between the bleaching agents and soft tissues. If teens have only one or two teeth exhibiting discoloration, professionals correct the problem using mild abrasives and treatments that target these teeth, which reduces the danger of affecting gums and surrounding teeth. Dentists often use this technique when discoloration occurs because of fluorosis or tetracycline use. Targeted treatment is also more cost-effective.
Teens should only use teeth-whitening products under the supervision of a dentist. These products are designed to remove the superficial stains found on the top layer of enamel. Appropriate aesthetic orthodontics contain carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide, which breaks down the substances that cause teeth to appear yellow or brown.
As the enamel of younger teeth is more porous than adult teeth, their teeth often more readily respond to treatment. However, care must be taken to ensure that teens use prescribed products correctly. Incorrect use or overuse may damage gums and enamel. In-office treatments consist of peroxide gels exposed to specially designed lamps that hasten the whitening process.
Contact Dr. Patricia Panucci:
When teens or parents have concerns about the coloration of teeth, consult with Dr. Panucci at Beach Braces. The facility uses state-of-the-art technology to educate patients and offer individualized treatment. Ensure the health of your child’s teeth by making an appointment with a qualified professional at Beach Braces.
Beach Braces, 1730 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Suite B, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
TEL: 310-379-0006 Fax: (310) 379-7051.
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Chernobyl’s Radiation Seems to Be Robbing Birds of Their Sperm
New study could shed light on how nuclear disasters affect birds.
When Anders Moller stumbled across a century-old paper describing sperm-milking techniques for artificially breeding budgies, he knew he was on to something good. Although sperm harvesting--which involves gently pressing on the muscles around a male bird's cloaca, causing a contraction that triggers (nonconsensual) ejaculation--is practically an art among turkey and chicken farmers, it's not a skill taught at ornithology school.
As with any other skill, practice makes perfect, so Moller--an evolutionary biologist and research director of the French National Center for Scientific Research--began experimenting in the field with some very unhappy males. "In the early years, half of his attempts led to something other than semen being produced," says Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina and Moller's longtime collaborator. "The samples were just filled with shit."
Thousands of, er, massages later, Moller is now a pro. He recently put that skill to good use in Chernobyl, site of the world's worst nuclear accident, in 1986. There his team has built the largest avian sperm dataset ever collected in the field. Contrary to media claims that Chernobyl's wildlife is thriving, detailed scientific surveys show that birds and other wildlife in the area's most contaminated tracts have suffered from mutations and population declines, and that some species have disappeared entirely. Studies have shown that men exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl catastrophe have fewer and less mobile sperm, but this is first such investigation in multiple bird species.
Over two years, the researchers used mist nets to capture 566 male birds from 46 passerine species. They sampled eight study sites in Chernobyl and the surrounding forests, with background radiation levels ranging over three orders of magnitude, from levels lower than those that occur in Central Park to ones hot enough to cause fatal cancers. Moller would coax out a few precious drops of sperm, release the birds, and immediately analyze the samples for sperm speed, mobility, and density using a microscope at the team's impromptu field station.
The sperm's health and behavior, they report today in PLoS One, varied wildly between species. Their samples ranged from no sperm, to deformed or sluggish swimmers, to sperm that appeared perfectly normal. "Radiation clearly affected many of these birds, but in different ways," Mousseau says.
In highly contaminated sites, nearly 18 percent of samples contained no sperm, compared with just 3 percent in radiation-free zones. According to the authors' calculations, birds trapped in the contaminated areas were almost nine times more likely to fire blank shots than those found in control sites. At one particularly hot site, samples from 44 birds, or 40 percent of those tested, didn't have a single sperm.
Mathieu Giraudeau, an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Zurich, says the study is an important contribution to our understanding of radiation's effects on birds, echoing most outside experts interviewed for this story*. "The decrease of sperm quality, or even the aspermy of many birds in contaminated areas, could be a major factor explaining the decline in wild bird populations in Chernobyl," says Giraudeau, adding that more tests, conducted under controlled lab settings, are needed to verify the link.
Pierre Deviche, a professor of environmental physiology at Arizona State University, praised the paper, although he says he would have liked to have seen the authors dig into the differences between species. Do long-lived birds have more damaged sperm, for instance, or do migratory species have lower aspermy rates? "Surprisingly, the authors do not address this important issue to any significant extent," he says.
But other scientists are less convinced. One, Christelle Adam-Guillermin, head of the Laboratory of Radionuclide Ecotoxicology at IRSN in France, questions the study's methodology. Adam-Guillermin points out that the researchers based their statistics on ambient radiation levels in the environment rather than on each bird's absorbed dose, or the amount of radiation it's exposed to both internally and externally.
That's something the team has been investigating in hundreds of birds and mammals at Chernobyl and Fukushima, the site in Japan where, in 2011, a local nuclear plant's six reactors disastrously melted down. They attached miniature dosimeters the animals' bodies for external readings and measured internal doses via a portal gamma spectroscopy lab. "Overall, there is a very good relationship between measured internal dose, external dose, and ambient radiation levels," Mousseau says, adding that he plans to publish those results soon.
This latest sperm study builds on the team's previous research showing that wild Barn Swallows' sperm quality significantly decreases in contaminated areas. But the scientists' work is revealing that there's likely no single way birds respond to nuclear disasters. In a paper they published in May, for example, they reported that several species--including Tree Pipits, Black Redstarts, and European Robins--seem to be adapting to Chernobyl's radiation. Yet the team has also found that overall bird populations in contaminated areas are smaller and that some species are missing entirely; that Barn Swallows living there live comparatively short lives; and that sex ratios skew toward males.
Which organisms will adapt to what and when are complex questions that need to be teased out with further studies. Mousseau, Moller, and their colleagues are likely the ones who will continue tackling the challenge, building on their two decades of work--and 60 papers--addressing radiation's impact on creatures ranging from spiders to fungus. After all, says Mousseau, the Fukushima meltdown has shown the world that additional nuclear accidents are possible. If and when others happen, today's radiation investigations could better prepare us to deal with the fallout.
*Three experts declined to comment on the study. Some in the evolutionary ecology field see Moller as a black sheep since a 2003 scandal in which a Danish research committee discovered that one of Moller's 1998 papers contained data that didn't support the conclusions. (Moller claims it was an inadvertent mistake, others disagree.) | <urn:uuid:67f7b0bc-9f91-4f3d-8829-d4c1d4754b53> | {
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Does the idea of drowning in insulation fibers seem ludicrous to you? This is exactly what has happened to Oklahoma City mesothelioma victims. Asbestos fibers, used for decades as fire-retardant and heat-resistant insulation materials, cause a rare form of cancer. Miniscule pieces of these fibers break off and float through the air. They become attached to clothing and are inhaled into the lungs of their victims. Here, they become the messengers of a painful, usually incurable disease known as lung mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma cancer has stricken hundreds of people in Oklahoma city who worked in construction trades, shipyards, automobile manufacturing companies, and the oil industry. Furthermore, these workers brought home asbestos fibers to their families on their clothing and in their hair. Most cases of malignant melanoma have been diagnosed in people who worked directly with asbestos. A significant number of people, however, whose only exposure to this material was secondhand, have contracted this disease.
A number of industries in Oklahoma City offered workers many opportunities for mesothelioma exposure. Shipyards and power plants used large quantities of asbestos before it was outlawed in the 1970s. A number of those employed in construction trades also handled this substance extensively. Many people worked for oil drilling companies and returned to their families in the city on weekends or after several weeks.
Even though laws were passed to protect workers in the 1970s, many innocent people were exposed as late as the 1990s. For example, a mine in Montana shipped ore containing asbestos dust across Oklahoma. Oklahoma City was one of the three cities whose residents were affected by this deadly error. In fact, most of the people in the state diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer live near Tulsa or Oklahoma City.
Unfortunately, the state has chosen to enact laws that favor these corporations rather than the unfortunate people who worked for them. Oklahoma law states that those who are entitled to compensation for asbestos mesothelioma must be diagnosed within two years of the date of exposure. Alternatively, their doctors must have recognized the symptoms of this cancer within two years of the time when their symptoms began. The difficulty with this is that mesothelioma symptoms are often vague at the outset, and suggestive of other health problems, including emphysema, asbestosis, and congestive heart failure.
Because of the limitations imposed by this statute, many Oklahoma City law firms recommend that their clients file lawsuits in other states if possible. This is because most states do not have this statute of limitations. Furthermore, some states, including California, work to expedite the claims of mesothelioma victims so that they can at least have the peace of knowing that they received some compensation for the deadly exposure imposed upon them by their workplaces.
In Oklahoma city, mesothelioma injury victims are forced to fight long, hard battles for mesothelioma settlements. Sometimes victims, as in the case of Randy Stone, die long before their cases are ever brought to court or a settlement. In these situations, only the families of the deceased victims can demand justice from uncaring corporations for their loved one’s death caused directly from mesothelioma injury. Oklahoma city mesothelioma lawyers are put through stall and delay tactics on all claims, hoping the mesothelioma victims family will lose interest in any type of large settlement.
A Mesothelioma Patient has a Grim Prognosis if not treated as early as possible for best survival odds. | <urn:uuid:373e6c7a-5c28-4773-bdff-4f7ffc00d29a> | {
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The liver is an extremely important and very special organ. Not only does it play an important role in cleansing the body and digesting food, but it is also the only organ in the body that has the ability to regenerate itself if damaged, provided enough healthy cells remain undamaged. Because of this, it's extremely important to take good care of your liver so that it can take good care of you. Here are 10 foods that can help your liver:
Beets are good for the liver because they contain beta- carotene and beneficial plant flavonoids. Along with their vegetable cousin, carrots, both can help to cleanse the liver by stimulating liver function overall. Sugar beets, in particular, are beneficial to the liver by assisting with cholesterol reduction.
Avocados are considered a super food because they are so nutrient dense. In addition to being rich in vitamin E and folate, avocados are also good sources of oleic acid, which has been shown to help fight cancer. What makes avocados great for the liver is the glutathione, just like nuts. Avocados are also a good source of beta-sitasterol, which has been shown to lower cholesterol. Since the liver produces cholesterol, this can help take some of the stress off of the liver.
It's true; garlic is stinky, but it is also a staple in nearly every cuisine around the world, which is great news for the liver. Just a small amount of this stinky little cousin to the onion helps to activate liver enzymes and promote cleansing. In addition, it is rich in selenium and allicin, two more nutrients that aid in liver cleansing as well as helping to prevent against cell damage from free radicals.
While the name sounds scary, cruciferous vegetables refer to a group of vegetables that includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and green leafy vegetables. These vegetables help to increase the amount of enzyme activating glucosinolate in the body. Those enzymes in turn help to cleanse the body of toxins that can cause any number of health problems.
Leafy greens have so much going for them. Not only are they rich in a number of vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and the B vitamins, they also help promote liver health. Leafy greens are rich in chlorophylls, the stuff that makes them green. What is great about this is that these chlorophylls soak up toxins in the body, making the job of the liver easier while also protecting the liver from damage. Leafy greens also help increase bile production to aid in digestion and help remove toxins from the body.
Citrus fruits are full of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps fight cancer as well as boosting the immune system. These fruits, which include oranges, limes, grapefruits and lemon, also stimulate the liver and help remove toxic substances by synthesizing them into material that can be removed from the body with water. Studies also suggest that citrus flavonoids can help in the treatment of fatty liver, insulin resistance, obesity and atherosclerosis.
Not only is green tea a good source of antioxidants, it is loaded with catechins, a substance that is known to improve liver function. They are even more powerful than Vitamins C and E when it comes to preventing damage to cells according to Harvard Women's Health Watch. Studies from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) also showed that green tea had the ability to suppress liver injuries in rats.
Not only is this the spice responsible for making mustard yellow, it is also good for liver health. Turmeric helps improve liver function in a variety of ways, including boosting liver enzymes, protects against liver damage, helps increase bile production and can even help regenerate healthy liver cells. Turmeric is often shown to work best when combined with black pepper. Try adding some to soups and stews for a healthy kick.
Apples, aside from being sweet and delicious, are good for the liver because they contain pectin. This is the same stuff added to jams and jellies to make it gel properly. Pectin helps the liver properly dispose of toxins by reducing its workload. Apples are high in fiber as well as vitamin C, and have relatively few calories, which makes them a great snack.
- Harvard Health Publications
- Office of Dietary Supplements
- PubMed.gov: Citrus Flavonoids and lipid metabolism
- PubMed.gov: Hepatic LDL receptor mRNA in rats is increased by dietary mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) fiber and sugar beet fiber
- AJCN: Green Tea Suppresses Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Liver Injury in D-Galactosamine – Sensitized Rats | <urn:uuid:549700ed-fb28-4dad-bd2b-b5bd39ad10d4> | {
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Simply put, storm water runoff, which occurs naturally, is rain or snowmelt that flows over land and does not percolate into the soil. Manmade surfaces, such as roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, can greatly alter the natural hydrology of the land by increasing the volume, velocity, and temperature of runoff and by decreasing its infiltration capacity.
- In nature, storm water is absorbed by the soil, which acts as a natural filter, removing harmful toxins. Then, the now harmless storm water seeps into streams, ponds, lakes, and underground aquifers.
- In urban areas, storm water falls directly on cement and asphalt pavements and has nowhere to filter out harmful contaminants. As a result, those contaminants are washed into waterways without undergoing natural filtration.
This is a very serious problem that can result in severe stream bank erosion, flooding, and the degradation of the biological habitat of these streams.
Other Ways Storm Water Runoff Impacts Us
- Reducing infiltration can lower ground water levels
- Reducing infiltration can affect drinking water supplies
- As storm water runoff moves across surfaces, it picks up trash, debris, and pollutants such as sediment, oil and grease, pesticides and other toxins.
- Changes in ambient water temperature, sediment, and pollutants from storm water runoff can be detrimental to aquatic life, wildlife, habitat, and human health.
Storm Water Runoff and the Construction Industry
The soil exposed by construction is especially vulnerable to excessive erosion. In fact, runoff from an unstabilized construction site can result in the loss of approximately 35–45 tons of sediment per acre each year (ASCE and WFF, 1992). This excess sediment clouds the water and reduces the amount of sunlight that is able to reach underwater plants, clog fish gills, smother aquatic habitats, etc.
If you have any questions about the Storm Water Runoff or if you have a construction project that you need completed right the first time, please contact Reliable Contracting by calling 410-987-0313 or visit our website. And be sure to check back here next week to learn how construction workers can stop storm water pollution.
Reliable Contracting maintains a reputation as a leader in the construction industry. Our clientele includes builders, developers, individuals and government agencies. With projects ranging in cost from $10,000 to over $10 million, Reliable can be seen working on Maryland’s roads, highways, airports, office parks, shopping centers, hospitals, churches, and residential neighborhoods earning our reputation by providing clients with consistent quality and dedication to their projects.
Reliable Contracting Company serves the following and surrounding Counties: Annapolis, Queen Anne’s, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Calvert, Caroline, Charles, Howard, Prince George, St. Mary’s, Talbot, and Washington D.C. | <urn:uuid:65eb0613-b65a-4403-bb7a-2dae2c49e501> | {
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Scientists study the illusive snow leopard in Northern Afghanistan (The New York Times)
- Snow leopards have the advantage of living in “one of the most remote and isolated mountain landscapes in the world,” away from the human threats other large cats face.
- Increasingly, snow leopards have been eating livestock, and these encounters with humans might threaten this already endangered species as tensions arise.
- Scientists estimate there are between 4,500 and 7,500 snow leopards in the wild, but Dr. Schaller said, “those figures are just wild guesses.”
Q&A with Will Potter about his new book: Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement under Siege (Grist)
- Will Potter discusses how corporations and lobbyists are attacking the environmental movement with accusations of terrorism, much like red scare.
- “As the scale of the ecological crisis we are facing becomes more apparent, and as the backlash against social movements that are challenging our self-destructive culture intensifies, it is difficult to not feel dark, to feel helpless.”
Puma commits to eliminating all hazardous waste releases into Chinese waterways as part of Greenpeace’s detox challenge (Greenpeace)
- Puma, the third largest sportswear producer in the world, just committed to stop releasing toxic chemical in Chinese rivers by 2020, “beating” both Nike and Adidas in the detox challenge.
The National Petroleum Reserve, bustling with biodiversity of arctic life, is soon to be tapped (Yale Environment 360)
- “This wetland is home to the most spectacular gathering of migratory birds from all over the world, numbering in the millions.”
- The 23 million acre reserve will have is its fate decided in a year, and scientists are hurrying to study “special spots,” which the US will protect within the reserve.
And lastly a video to inspire, relish and even lament conservation efforts (TreeHugger)
If the above embedded video does not display, here to view it. | <urn:uuid:5db0eaf8-dc27-4e80-b8f1-1935edb19e7d> | {
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Arizona Statehood Day
Arizona became a state on February 14, 1912.
"Arizona State Capitol Museum." Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State. http://www.lib.az.us/museum/statehood.aspx (accessed October 8, 2011).
"Kids' Page." Arizona Secretary of State ~ Home Page.http://www.azsos.gov/public_services/Kids/ (accessed October 5, 2011). | <urn:uuid:c491366d-ff6b-4a3c-8c83-354dec82ad45> | {
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Thanks to free website builders no one really needs to mess with coding HTML anymore. However, on occasion HTML tags can come in handy, for example to make quick changes to a website, add hypertext in a comment, or format text for a forum post. In this article I want to show you a few, possibly random, but definitely useful and simple tags for daily use.
Before we start, let me introduce you to some basic rules that will hopefully make HTML tags easier to understand:
- HTML uses markup tags, which are enclosed in angle brackets, such as this: <html>
- Tags that look like the one in the example above are called start tags. Every start tag must be followed by an end tag at some point, such as this: </html>
- Some tags do not describe content. To be compliant with current standards, however, they must still end. Consequently, they unite the start and end tag, such as this: <br />
HTML tags are usually straightforward. The tags for making text bold, italic, or underlined are derived from the respective word.
Input: <s>strike through text</s>
strike through text
Plain URLs can look pretty ugly. Adding the hyperlink to a text, i.e. creating a hypertext, is much more stylish and will save space, especially if the link is very long.
Input: <a href=”//www.makeuseof.com” title=”MakeUseOf”>MakeUseOf</a>
As you can see this HTML tag is a little more complicated, so let’s look at it in detail. The actual tag is <a> and the additional elements are attributes that specify further characteristics. The attribute href= specifies the link and title= defines the mouse-over tooltip. Be sure to use quotations marks to enclose the link and the title, otherwise you might end up with a broken link.
A picture can say more than a thousand words. We should use them more often. And this is how you can manually insert one using HTML:
Input: <img src=”http://www.yourlinkhere.com/Smiley.png” alt=”smiley” />
Let’s also analyze this tag. Again, the actual tag is <img> and the required attributes are src= and alt=. The former points to the location of the image, i.e. its URL, and the latter provides an alternative text, which is displayed in case the display of images is blocked or the link is broken. Again, use quotation marks to avoid broken links.
The <img> tag is also an example of a tag that doesn’t need to be ‘ended’ and hence closes with the forward dash in the initial tag, i.e. <img /> rather than <img>.
Breaks & Paragraphs
To create a structured text, you need to utilize line breaks and paragraphs. And these are the tags you need to know:
Input: <br />
Output: This tag creates a line break. Note that this is another tag that unites start and end tag in one.
Input: <p>Text inside your paragraph.</p>
Output: Unlike the previous tag, the paragraph tag has a standard start and end tag. The text in between the two tags is wrapped into a paragraph, meaning there is an empty line before and after.
There are essentially two types of lists: ordered and unordered lists, better known as numbered and bulleted lists. To create either, you need to know two different tags, but only three in total. Let’s look at the examples first:
- Item One
- Item Two
- Item One
- Item Two
To create an ordered list, use the tag <ol> and for an unordered list, insert the <ul> tag. In both cases, the <li> tag is used to define an item within the list.
Now that you have seen how simple and logic HTML is, you may want to go beyond the very basics and learn a little more. For more HTML tips, check out these articles:
- 5 Steps To Understanding Basic HTML Code
- 5 HTML Tips to Create a Fast Loading Free Website
- 7 Cool HTML Effects That Anyone Can Add To Their Website
Do you feel a little more confident about using HTML tags now? If you have been ‘hand coding’ routinely before, what tags do you think are missing?
Image credits: kentoh | <urn:uuid:f80fb3e3-ea64-4e5a-9944-145ee46bb436> | {
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Study links developmental problems in children to use of antibiotics by some mothers during preterm labourBMJ 2008; 337 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a1725 (Published 19 September 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1725
Researchers have emphasised the importance of long term follow-up of clinical trials after finding that giving antibiotics to some women in preterm labour raises the risk of cerebral palsy and mild functional problems in their children.
The results from the seven year follow up of the ORACLE I and ORACLE II studies show that women in preterm labour with intact membranes who were treated with erythromycin were 18% (95% confidence interval 2% to 37%) more likely to have a child with a functional impairment than women given placebo (Lancet 2008 Sep 18, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61202-7 and doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61203-9).
The original ORACLE studies were published in 2001 and led to changes in the care of women in premature labour in the United Kingdom and around the world (Lancet 2001;357:981-90 and 991-6).
They found that antibiotics can benefit women in preterm labour provided their waters have broken, but that the two antibiotics studied, erythromycin and co-amoxiclav, do not delay birth or improve the survival or health of babies whose mothers have intact membranes.
Another finding, that co-amoxiclav raised the risk of necrotising enterocolitis in newborn babies, led to the recommendation by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists that erythromycin and not co-amoxiclav should be given to women whose membranes had ruptured prematurely and who could have an infection.
For the follow-up studies the parents of all 8361 children who completed the original studies were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their child’s health seven years later with an overall response rate of 75% and 71%.
Altogether 42.3% of children (658 of 1554) whose mothers had taken erythromycin during preterm labour with intact membranes had some mild impairments, such as needing to wear glasses or use a hearing aid or having trouble with day to day problem solving, compared with 38.3% (574 of 1498) of children whose mothers took placebo.
There was also an unexpected rise in cerebral palsy among the children whose mothers were in premature labour with intact membranes and who took antibiotics. Of 1661 children whose mothers took erythromycin 53 (3.2%) developed cerebral palsy compared with 27 of 1562 (1.7%) whose mothers took placebo. Similar findings were seen with co-amoxiclav. Children whose mothers took erythromycin and co-amoxiclav were at even greater risk of developing cerebral palsy: 35 of 795 children (4.4%) developed the syndrome compared with 12 of 770 (1.6%) children whose mothers took double placebo.
But taking antibiotics during labour made no difference to how the children did at education tests given in schools and many other problems the researchers looked at, such as the chances of getting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, wheezing, seizures, or bowel problems. And no differences were found in the function, behaviour, education achievement, or health of children whose mothers took antibiotics because their membranes had ruptured.
Although they say that the findings could be the result of chance the researchers point out that the excess of children with cerebral palsy whose mothers took both antibiotics indicates that the finding could point to a potential dose-response relation and did not happen by chance alone.
The researchers say that antibiotics may harm unborn babies whose mothers’ membranes are not broken because they are potentially exposed to antibiotics for a fairly long time because only 15-20% of such women give birth within seven days.
If a woman has an infection, treatment could delay labour by boosting her defences without clearing the infection, said one of the researchers, Peter Brocklehurst, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford. The infection could then remain around the baby, leading to brain damage. Another possibility is that the antibiotics could harm the fetal brain.
However, in a letter to doctors and nurses the Department of Health said, “CHM [the Commission on Human Medicines] advised that any association between erythromycin in spontaneous premature labour and cerebral palsy was unlikely to be a direct effect of the antibiotic but rather due to a number of factors involved in disruption of the natural history of preterm labour.”
The department has sent out the letter in an effort to pre-empt a flood of queries from pregnant women who are concerned about taking antibiotics in pregnancy or in labour. It has also set up a helpline for the women who took part in the study.
The department and an expert panel, the Medical Research Council, which funded the studies, and the Commission on Human Medicines, the agency that advises the UK government on the safety of drugs, were given early access to the results ahead of their release this week in case public policy needed change. However, no new guidance has been needed.
The letter says, “Pregnant women should not feel concerned about taking antibiotics to treat infections. Antibiotics save lives and pregnant women with possible or obvious infections must be considered for treatment with antibiotics.”
In an accompanying comment on the research (doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61248-9) Philip Steer, from Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, and Alison Bedford Russell, from Warwick Medical School and Heart of England NHS Trust, say “The lesson to be learnt seem clear: contrary to popular opinion—‘might as well give them, they don’t do any harm’—antibiotics are not risk free. There are good reasons not to give them in association with threatened preterm labour unless there is clear evidence of infection.”
They warn that there “seems to be an inexorable tendency” for interventions that have proven efficacy in perinatal care to be overused. Such interventions include the administration of antenatal steroids to aid the development of fetal lungs, and caesarean section for breech presentation.
“It is vital the practice [of prescribing antibiotics to women in premature labour] is not extended by stealth beyond that which is justified by the evidence, and interventions given in pregnancy should always be evaluated with proper long term follow-up,” said Professor Steer and Dr Russell.
Catherine Elliott, head of clinical research support and ethics at the Medical Research Council (MRC), said, “The ORACLE children study highlights the importance of conducting long term follow-ups, especially in interventions in pregnancy and early life. The results were unexpected and the MRC is considering what further research could shed more light on these findings. We will be convening an expert group to look at what potential research avenues could be explored to understand what mechanisms may be involved.”
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1725
The helpline for participants in the study is 0800 085 2411, staffed 9 30 am to 4 30 pm. | <urn:uuid:3418abb3-2edf-4996-9d3c-12ab66805ca7> | {
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There may be consumer confusion if packaging of less nutritious snack food sold in schools is altered to look like their healthier counterparts—such as the Smart Snacks—which may compromise student nutrition and safety as well as affect perceptions on the food brands and the schools.
In the peer-reviewed Childhood Obesity journal, the researchers made a comparison of how parents and students graded look-alike Smart Snacks to the store versions of the same snacks with intent to purchase, healthfulness, and taste as their basis.
Indeed, what they discovered was consumer confusion, according to the journal’s article, Effects of Offering Look-Alike Products as Smart Snacks in Schools, authored by Jennifer Harris, PhD, MBA and Marlene Schwartz, PhD, both from University of Connecticut, Hartford; and Maia Hyary, MPA, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
Most of the participants in the study mistakenly believed of seeing Smart Snacks being sold in stores.
The researchers warned that these look-alike Smart Snacks could lead consumers in believing that they have the same nutritional standards as the same brands sold in schools.
The journal’s editor-in-chief Tom Baranowski said that this research underscores the confusion that parents and students experience while looking at “nutritionally different versions of similar food items” sold in stores against those sold in schools.
“The fact that students rated the healthier versions of the snacks as equal in taste to the unhealthy versions is an important milestone for healthy snacks. Hopefully this article will lead to a national discussion about what types of foods parents, students, and citizens in general want offered in schools,” said Baranowski, who holds a PhD at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Recall that the U.S. Department of Agriculture established nutritional standards in 2013 for foods and beverages being sold in schools and later labeled these products meeting the standards as Smart Snacks.
Effective September 2014, the label helped make significant improvements in the nutritional quality of foods and drinks in schools, thus banning sales of regular soda, high-fat chips, candies, and other products with poor in nutrients during school time.
Responding to this, some of the food producers eventually reformulated their products to meet the standards of Smart Snacks. | <urn:uuid:923a4c9c-06d8-4d4d-ae09-661553232b6a> | {
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Did you know?
The ingredients that went into the paint that the San used to create rock art include blood, gall, egg white and ochre.
The Drakensberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal boast the greatest concentration of San Bushman rock art in South Africa, much of it in remote, supremely beautiful surroundings.
Subject matter includes animals like the revered eland antelope, human figures and therianthropes (metamorphosis from human to animal).
Among the most accessible Drakensberg rock art sites is the open-air Bushman Cave Museum in the Giant's Castle Reserve, established in 1903 and run by KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation. A short walk takes you to the cave, which features 500 rock paintings, some of which are estimated to be around 800 years old.
In Ndedema Gorge 3 900 paintings have been recorded at 17 sites, more than 1 000 in the Sebaayeni Cave.
In the Cathedral Peak-Mdelelelo Wilderness Area around 130 sites feature more than 8 800 individual paintings.
At Kamberg, in the Estcourt district, it's worth taking a guided hike to Shelter Cave – a return hike takes around four hours – but there is a small overnight chalet if needed.
Nearby Royal Natal National Park offers an easy walk along the upper reaches of the Tugela River, starting from the park visitors' centre and heading into the Sigubudu Valley, to reach some of the rarest San paintings in the Drakensberg.
In the Little Berg has many unmapped rock art sites, however the Bushman's Nek Hotel has its own rock art display and offers directions to some of the caves. A difficult four-day hike from Bushman's Nek police post traverses steep slopes, but finding caves adorned with long-hidden paintings is particularly rewarding.
Garden Castle is the southernmost region of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and incorporates the Bushman's Nek Valley. It is dominated by rhino peak at 1840 metres with magnificent views from Lesotho to East Griqualand. From the Garden Castle Natal Parks Board office a steepish walk of about 5km takes you to Bushman's Cave. Sleeping in any of the caves in this area is forbidden.
Some of the most striking Drakensberg Bushman paintings grace the walls of remote caves that are unfortunately out of bounds to hikers. Experts on rock paintings contend that San Bushman art is among the world's most sophisticated art forms.
Apart from its rich repository of Bushman art to be found in caves and overhangs, the Drakensberg is home to endemic wildlife including buck species, baboons and raptors.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Drakensberg Tourism Association
Tel: +27 (0)36 448 1557
How to get here
The Drakensberg is served by good tarred roads and is easily accessible by car.
Best time to visit
Summer or spring. Winters often see snow capping these mountains.
Around the area
There is lots to see and do aside from walking and hiking. The Drakensberg Boys' Choir performs at the Choir School in Champagne Valley. There's game viewing on horseback at Spionkop Nature Reserve, horse riding, mountain biking, trout fishing and golf at the Champagne Sports Resort. This is a paradise for adventure lovers.
Tours to do
Take a guided tour to the famous rock art sites of Didima Gorge or the Kamberg.
Drive to a site, then take a walking trail. There are countless to choose from.
What will it cost
Permits are required to access areas that fall under Parks Board protection. The fee is nominal and is used for maintenance costs.
Length of stay
A half-week or week.
What to pack
Hiking shoes and warm clothes. It gets cold even in summer.
Where to stay
The Drakensberg boasts a diverse choice of hotels, resorts and lodges.
What to eat
There are plenty of country restaurants with fine fare to suit any palate.
Consult the local Drakensberg newspapers for what's on.
A hand-made hiking pole sold at the roadside. | <urn:uuid:5700174d-39d2-43d7-8bfe-38f817d53860> | {
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Slovakia: The Legend of the Linden is a fully illustrated book about the folklore of the Linden tree, a beautiful tree native to both the Czech Republic and Slovakia which is also the national symbol for both lands. This beautiful book offers an in-depth history of Slovakia based around the Linden tree, or “Lípa” as it is more commonly known in the Slovak language.
It reads almost like a poem, making references and to the tree which is sacred in the Czech and Slovak nations and serves as a representation of strength and perseverance, as it lived through many wars and battles. The Linden tree is not only a symbol for Slovakia though, it is also popular among many other mythologies and can be seen in literature from Germanic, Greek, and Baltic folklore.
In English, the Linden tree is sometimes called a lime tree, though it is not related to the tree which produces the lime fruit. The name has inspired many other Slavic based words such as the word lípan which means July in Croatian or lípa which used to be the name for Slovenian currency. In Polish they call the tree the Święta Lipka which literally translates to “Holy Lime” this is also the name of a town in Poland.
The tree itself has been a necessity for the Slovak people though generations. Using its pollen for honey, and its blossoms for healing tea, it can be recognized as a nation emblem for both Slovakia and the Czech Republic (also check out the history of the Czech national coat of arms).
The Linden is a rather large tree that is quaint in appearance and has heart shaped leaves. It is said that every village had one of these trees where people would gather and spend time together, and to this day, it remains highly symbolic to the Slavs.
The book was co-written by Zuzana Palovic and Gabriela Bereghazyova. In it, they dive into the history of both Slovakia and the Linden tree and their connection to one another.
It is rather romantic in the way it was written and it is easy to read.
Mostly, this is a beautiful book to look at!
Every single page of the book is like its own work of art; holding a painting, illustration, or photograph to represent the subject being discussed.
This makes it a lovely book not only to read, but also to study and look at if you happen to be interested in visual arts.
A truly magical read, this whimsically told story of Slovakia is not only fascinating but also enriching.
We recommend you pick up your copy here!
If you have not already subscribed to get TresBohemes.com delivered to your inbox, please use the form below now so you never miss another post.
Remember, we rely solely on your donations to keep the project going.
Become a friend and get our lovely Czech postcard pack. | <urn:uuid:48deb7bf-e494-4b34-87e1-764bd0887b2d> | {
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Earth’s Atmosphere is Unique
Worlds Without atmospheres
We take it for granted that when we breathe in (inhale), air is going to enter our lungs. Go ahead, do it now. Breathe in. How nice to feel the air entering our lungs! However, breathing is useless if there is no air out there for us to breathe in. The next time you are visiting the Moon or the planet Mercury go ahead and take off your helmet. Take a deep breath. Quick! Put it back on! Did you notice that no air entered your lungs? In fact the opposite happened! When you opened your mouth to breath, the higher pressure air in your lungs was sucked out. Why? Both Mercury and the Moon have no atmosphere with air molecules. On these bodies there is a vacuum, no air at all. It’s difficult to say what we would die from first - our tissues rapidly expanding because there is no air pressure pushing in on them, or lack of oxygen to the brain.
How about our two closest neighbors, Venus and Mars? Venus does have an atmosphere, but it is hostile to life. Its atmosphere is too thick, being almost 100 times thicker than Earth’s. When you opened your mouth to breathe so much air would rush in that your lungs would be crushed due to this intense pressure. Watch this video of atmospheric pressure crushing a can to help you realize what would happen to an unprotected body on Venus. On Mars, the red planet, we would have the opposite problem. Its thin atmosphere has a pressure 100 times less than that of Earth. At those low pressures, we would be doomed to the same fate as Mercury or the Moon. If we didn’t have a pressurized suit our bodies would inflate like a balloon. "Within minutes the skin and organs would rupture, outgas, and produce a quick, painful death." says Chris Webster from Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (1) Not a pretty picture! Earth’s atmosphere has just the right amount of air molecules in it to support breathing, unlike Venus and Mars, which either have way too much air, or not enough air.
Will any air do? Does it matter what types of air molecules we are breathing in? Air is air, right? Not by a long shot! Not only are the atmospheric pressures deadly on Venus and Mars, but the composition of the atmospheres is deadly also. Both planets boast an atmosphere of roughly 95% carbon dioxide (CO2). Scientists have determined that concentrations of CO2 over 6% would make it impossible to eliminate the CO2 that builds up in our bodies and we would die from CO2 poisoning. (2) It’s hard to say what we would die from first! There are around 30 common gases which are either elemental (like helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, etc) or compounds (like carbon dioxide, methane, butane, etc). (2) Of these 30 only one is capable of sustaining life – oxygen, and only Earth has an abundant supply. When I consider Earth and its two closest neighbors, Venus and Mars, the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears comes to mind. Earth’s atmosphere is “just right” for keeping us alive!
The Precious 21% That Keeps Us Alive
A typical breath at rest brings in around ½ liter of air (500 mL) into our lungs. That’s almost 11,000 Liters of air in one day, which is the volume of a cement-mixing truck. Of the 500 mL approximately 105 mL are composed of oxygen molecules. Of that 105 mL of oxygen, roughly 25%, a little over 26 mL, actually makes it into our bloodstream during each breath. The weight of those 26 mL of oxygen in every breath is 0.0357g.
That’s around 28 times lighter than a piece of paper (8.5 x 11 in) (2) Multiply that by 21,600 breaths and you get almost 800 grams of oxygen you remove from the air every day. That’s 1.7 pounds of pure oxygen every day that your body must have to keep you alive, and that’s not accounting for when your body demands more oxygen because you are playing soccer, or working in the yard, or swimming or playing tag. Only 1.7 pounds? Remember, this is air we’re talking about, which appears as though it weighs nothing at all! The amount of daily oxygen your body uses on average is the approximate weight of a loaf of bread.
“That’s not that much”, you say. Yet, when you factor in earth’s population, a whopping 6.4 million TONS of oxygen are being removed from the air every day! How heavy is 6.4 million tons? It is the approximate weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza. (3) This is the daily requirement to keep the world population alive! Now, are you worried about the Earth running out of oxygen?
The daily supply of oxygen used by the world’s population is equal to the weight of the great pyramid
No matter where you go on Earth, the air contains 21% oxygen. The higher you travel in elevation above the Earth’s surface the air becomes increasingly thinner, however the percentage of oxygen stays constant at 21%(roughly 1 out of every 5 molecules is oxygen) It’s been that way for all of recorded history. If we’re removing over 12 million tons of oxygen from the atmosphere every day (we’ll double it due to animals) how does our oxygen level in the atmosphere remain at 21%? If oxygen is so necessary for us, why didn’t God give us an atmosphere with at least 50% oxygen, instead of only 21%? Have you ever heard of the expression, “too much of a good thing?” Check out this video to see why. In the glass is 100% oxygen. What would it be like to try to fight a forest fire with this much oxygen?
So, why is the atmosphere of Earth not depleted of oxygen? The short answer is that God gave us plants with green leaves. During the process of photosynthesis these seemingly simple leaves manufacture glucose by combining carbon dioxide removed from the air with sunlight and water. That’s right – plants take air and turn it into food to feed the whole world! A by-product of this reaction is oxygen. One tree can produce roughly 260 pounds of oxygen per year, so it would take 2-3 trees to support 1 person with oxygen. (6) Scientists believe that microscopic plants that float in the ocean (phytoplankton and seaweed) are responsible for over 1/2 of the oxygen created by plants. (Morsink, 2017)
plants not only sustain life on earth with food, but also give us breathable air
They use the energy from the sun to change carbon dioxide and water into food (glucose) and oxygen.
A visual that helps me appreciate our wonderful atmosphere is looking at the earth from space you see our atmosphere as a thin blue ribbon which separates us from the blackness and emptiness of space. This thin blue ribbon of air is what separates Earth from outer space and serves not only as a source of oxygen, but as a blanket to trap heat from the sun.
Questions to Consider:
How did it happen that the planet we call home has a continual supply of 21% oxygen which is perfectly suited for its critical role in cellular respiration, which exists in exactly the right concentration in our atmosphere, along with processes in place which maintain this perfect level?
Take another breath and think about the precious oxygen you just breathed in on its way to your cells where it will perform its life-saving work and extend your life for another 5-6 minutes. God, thank You for Your wisdom and care in providing us our wonderful atmosphere!
We take our atmosphere for granted. We shouldn’t. God designed it to sustain life on planet Earth. | <urn:uuid:193d24d2-841e-4bac-8996-14ab1fb5b128> | {
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Downloadable Link to the PDF will be available upon purchase. Limit 5 downloads. Download link expires in 30 days.
The Dreidel’s Hidden Meanings (E-Book, 42pp.)
The 8 days of Chanukah commemorate the miraculous victory of the Maccabees over their Hellenistic oppressors, over 2300 years ago. Over the centuries, Jewish children have adopted the dreidel, the famous top with the 4 Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hei, andshin inscribed on its four sides, forming the initials of the phrase, “A great miracle occurred there.”
As Harav Ginsburgh reveals in an in-depth analysis and spiritual meditation, the dreidel’s name, shape, spin, and symbols contain deep secrets and can be used as a meditative tool in expanding the horizons of our consciousness. Projecting an interplay between two basic shapes, a square and a circle, the dreidel’s spinning form reveals insight into diverse topics from the anatomy of the eye to the ability to appreciate spiritual variety to the spin of elementary particles. The customary rules for playing dreidel reveal a surprising lesson about the law of entropy and how selflessness is a prerequisite to profit and success.
Like all of Harav Ginsburgh’s work, this one too will open you up to the depths of spiritual and intellectual meaning hidden in every part of our Jewish tradition.
Book sample from Here. | <urn:uuid:bf095274-e550-4a6d-bd6f-a216804ad145> | {
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Mathematica 4 is the fourth generation Mathematica system and represents great progress both in technical computing and technical communication--the two pillars of Mathematica.
computing: Some of the most noticeable features in numerics are performance and scalability
improvements. In particular this is true for very large precision numbers, very
large integers, and large arrays of machine numbers. These core improvements lead
to improvements across the system. Many more specific enhancements, such as new
functions for data and image processing like convolution and correlation, and
greatly improved discrete Fourier transform, mean that large-scale data
processing in Mathematica is quite feasible. Finally, improvements to the
high-level numerics solvers such as
In symbolics, the main thrust has been to expand the scope of mathematics that Mathematica has mastered. Being able to simplify under certain assumptions, for instance, often means that resulting formulae are more compact and succinct. Several new special functions, and knowledge about special functions such as equation solving, simplification, or integration, means that the high-level symbolic solvers have reached a new high watermark. Finally, a very fundamental way of breaking down systems of inequalities into cylinders (solve) opens up a whole range of new applications for symbolic computation, whether in geometry, optimization, graphics, or theorem proving.
One of the core improvements to the programming language happens transparently in that
many functions (e.g.,
Technical communication: Being able to effectively import and export graphics, data, and documents in a wide variety of file formats means that it should be even easier to work with other programs and people. There are currently some 25 file formats supported. For instance, the greatly enhanced export to HTML now also supports exporting formulae as MathML (the new standard for mathematics on the web) instead of GIFs (as is currently the standard). One consequence of this is that web documents containing mathematics should both look good and mean something; i.e., you should be able to copy and paste a formula and have Mathematica evaluate it, which actually works right now in Mathematica 4.
The user interface took a giant leap in Version 3 and in this version the changes are less visible but productive. There are many additional helper programs that are designed to make the interface more convenient and productive and are meant to be more or less invisible. Some of these include unmatched bracket highlighting, automatic input replacements of sequences of characters, and intelligent indentation. Others aim at improving document quality, such as spell checking and hyphenation. We have also included experimental support for real-time viewpoint and zoom of 3D graphics (Windows and Macintosh).
Converted by Mathematica June 4, 2000 | <urn:uuid:dee87cdd-7826-455c-abcf-6d237ea8c993> | {
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Some of the scars are 100 years old. Piled up in corners or along fence lines, these unsuspecting stacks of boulders tell a story that’s unfolded before -- a tale of people’s determination to turn this land into something more profitable.
Some two billion years ago, glaciers covered parts the Midwest. As they melted, the rocks and debris trapped within the walls of ice were deposited across Nebraska. In part, this is what makes soils east of the 100th meridian (basically, north and south of North Platte) rich and fertile. But it’s also what makes the ground to the west rocky and rough.
Every couple of decades, people try it again. They pile rocks and boulders to clear the land for farming. As lessons and memories of the past fade, they plow rough land, betting things will work out differently from last time. Modern practices, equipment and technology evolve, but the results don’t change.
On a recent trip across Nebraska and South Dakota, I saw first-hand both old and fresh scars. Some rock piles peeking over the tops of corn or sunflowers, some in plain sight as new fields were prepped for winter and spring planting. These rocks tell a story of what once was in these fields and what will be, particularly if taxpayer-funded incentives continue motivating grassland conversion to crops.
In 1934, the United States witnessed what has been called “the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history.” The Dust Bowl ripped apart the Great Plains, blowing dirt and dust, killing people and livestock and forcing homesteaders into foreclosure and off their farms. It was caused by a combination of erratic weather patterns and indiscriminate plowing of grasslands.
Now, 80 years later, it’s happening again. As grasslands are converted to corn, sunflowers and soybeans, Jekyll-and-Hyde weather patterns are becoming the norm: Drought devastated Texas in 2010, 2011 saw massive floods along the Missouri River, and two years later, those same states saw record-setting drought;. Just weeks ago, a freak fall blizzard killed hundreds of thousands of cattle in Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Such erratic weather patterns only are magnified by grassland conversion, while putting remarkable stress on the people and resources of Nebraska. But a responsible farm bill that rebalances how our lands are used can keep us from repeating past mistakes while ensuring farmers can support a growing nation.
With the 2013 farm bill under debate, it’s crucial Congress balance crop and ranching subsidies with conservation on working lands. Most land that is suitable for farmland already is being farmed. What’s still in grass usually is marginal, highly erodible or prone to flooding. Those grasslands may be some of the last native prairie and are better left for grazing and wildlife.
Two things Congress needs do to give native prairie a fighting chance:
* If a farmer converts prairie to grow commodities, he or she would receive less in the way of subsidies from taxpayers. The farmer would have to prove that the land will yield a profitable crop and, in the interim, take on the risk of growing crops, rather than having taxpayers subsidize the risk and insurance.
* For the land already in farming, Congress should require farmers receiving taxpayer help to maintain soil and wetlands conservation in exchange for those subsidies.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry has been a leader in ensuring farming is fiscally and environmentally responsible. As the farm bill is being negotiated, now’s the time to help him and other members of Congress make these a reality.
As Nebraskans who value the grasslands, it’s important our taxes don’t contribute to the loss of this great ecosystem. It’s important we learn from our mistakes and put an end to the growing number of rock piles -- piles that are reminders of what we once took for granted and have lost forever. | <urn:uuid:d0213b5c-bdb6-4068-ab23-7ca0e07926c5> | {
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The links below provide information, guidelines, and other documents describing initiatives to assess and promote the school readiness of Maryland's preschoolers and kindergarten students.
NEW! 2012-2013 School Readiness Report. Each year, MSDE publishes the report "Children Entering School Ready to Learn," which provides information about the school readiness skills of Maryland kindergarteners during the current year. School Readiness Reports from previous years can also be accessed through this link.
Achieving School Readiness: A 5-Year Action Agenda. This October 2002 report to the Subcabinet for Children, Youth, and Families by Maryland’s Leadership in Action Program details the goals, strategies and action steps identified as most critical for ensuring that all Maryland children are fully ready for school.
Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR Online) - Kindergarten Assessment Users Guide - A manual for the administration of the MMSR assessment tool and the interpretation of assessment results. Click here for the Teachers' Version of the Users Guide. Click here for an MMSR School Readiness PowerPoint presentation. (PDF of PowerPoint)
Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age is a set of developmental and learning guidelines that was developed to ensure that those who live with or care for infants and young children have the knowledge and resources to support and encourage children during the ongoing process of growth and learning.
Early Childhood Curriculum Project – Guidance for child care and other nonpublic early childhood programs about curricular resources for three, four, and five year-olds. These resources are MSDE-recommended because they are aligned with the State’s prekindergarten and kindergarten curricular frameworks, also known as the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR)/Maryland State Curriculum.
Maryland State Curriculum
Countdown to Kindergarten (CTK) - The statewide campaign to increase public awareness about the importance of a child's early experience as the basis for school readiness. | <urn:uuid:0bc894a4-35aa-4b1e-b06c-be3ea880369a> | {
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Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines, and it's caused by a virus.
Better known as the stomach flu, this nasty bug is the leading cause of severe diarrhea and vomiting in both adults and children, making dehydration a real cause for concern - especially among children.
It's important to note that antibiotics do not work for viruses like the stomach flu and antidiarrheal medications are generally not given because they may prolong the infectious process.
The infection usually goes away on its own, but you should call your doctors if diarrhea lasts for more than several days or if you think you or your child are becoming dehydrated.
Stomach flu, like most infectious organisms, is transmitted by unwashed hands. The best way to prevent it is to handle food properly and wash hands thoroughly and often - especially after using the restroom. | <urn:uuid:917a9ce8-148f-4568-86df-e82b139d5a7f> | {
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|William Bradfield. 1910--89, US physicist, born in Britain, who shared the Nobel prize for physics (1956) with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain for developing the transistor. He also held controversial views on the connection between race and intelligence|
|Shockley (shŏk'lē) Pronunciation Key
American physicist who, with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, invented the transistor in 1947. For this work, all three shared the Nobel Prize for physics in 1956. Shockley went on to make improvements to the transistor that made it easier to manufacture. | <urn:uuid:ff138180-da1d-4062-bf64-5c04c7175e87> | {
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Last modified: 2003-01-18 by ivan sache
Keywords: france | europe | civil ensign | tricolore | constitution | lafayette |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors
by Zeljko Heimer
Flag adopted (as an ensign) by decree
of 27 pluviôse, year II (15 February 1794)
Description: Vertically divided blue-white-red
Use: on land, civil and state flag.
Colour approximate specifications (as given in Album des Pavillons [pay00]):
On this page:
In brief we can accept that the colours are basically those of Paris as used on the day of the storming of the Bastille, mixed with the Royal white. It is thought that the Marquis de Lafayette was responsible for inventing the red, white and blue cockade which soon became compulsory for Revolutionaries in 1789. We don't have to believe that the combination arose because the King placed a red-blue cockade in his hat next to a Royal white one, but combinations of Revolutionary and Royal emblems were common at that time.
The flag was created in 1790 but with the colours the reverse of what they are today, i.e. with red at the hoist, and revised in 1794 to the modern form. The 1790 flag existed only as part of the jack and ensign of the navy.
The flag went out of use with Napoléon I's defeat at Waterloo, but was brought back in 1830 (again by Lafayette) and has remained in use ever since. Although significances have been attached to the colours these are all spurious and invented after the fact. The red and blue of Paris were the livery colours of the coat of arms and natural ones for use by the militia.
Napoléon I standardized first in 1804 to a white field chape-chausse of red and blue, and in 1812 to the modern French flag. In 1804 took place the distribution of new flags to the regiments, and it is at that time that the near-religious rituals surrounding regimental flags were adopted.
François Velde, 30 June1995
The colors of the French flag "combine" different symbols, invented after the fact:
Pierre Gay, 15 September 1998
Most French flags, at least in the beginning of their use, have a very dark blue shade, sometimes called bleu drapeau (flag blue). Petit Larousse Illustré has nothing on bleu drapeau, but has :
Bleu roi: bleu soutenu (celui du drapeau francais), i.e. King blue: strong blue (the blue of the French flag)'.
Therefore, it seems that the use of a dark blue for the French flag has been widely accepted, since it is highligted to examplify the 'king blue' shade.
Ivan Sache, 23 September 2001
For the naval flags, the maintenance service of the French Navy (HCC) gives the following specifications (in reference to AFNOR standardNFX 08002):
Blue Pantone 282c and red 186c are my translation (approximation) of those colours.
Armand Noël du Payrat, 24 September 2001
Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré has for Tricolore the following entry:
Tricolore adj. (du pref. tri , et du latin color , couleur). De trois couleurs. Le drapeau tricolore, le drapeau français. - L'origine des trois couleurs qui figurent dans notre drapeau national remonte à l'année1789 : pour cimenter la bonne intelligence entre le roi et la ville de Paris, dans la journée où, suivant le mot heureux de Bailly, Paris reconquit son roi, on réunit à la couleur blanche, qui était celle de la royauté, le bleu et le rouge, couleurs qui figuraient dans les armes de la ville de Paris.
[Tricolore adj. (from prefix tri and Latin color, colour). Of three colours. Le drapeau tricolore: The French flag. - The origins of the three colours figuring on our national flag go back to year 1789: In order to create a good relation between the King and the city of Paris, on the day where, as Bailly expressed it rejoicing, Paris reconquered its King, the colour white, which was that of royalty, was associated with blue and red, which are colours figuring in the arms of the city of Paris.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 September 2001
The French National Convention adopted as national flag the three colours blue, white, red on 15 February 1794 - or more exactly, on 27 pluviôse an II in the revolutionary calendar. The decree says (in my own free translation):
Armand Noël du Payrat, 4 February 1998
The present Constitution of the French Republic (1958) says:
L'emblème national est le drapeau tricolore, bleu, blanc, rouge (The national emblem is the tricolor, blue, white, red, flag)
Pierre Gay, 24 September 1998
by Zeljko Heimer
The proportions of vertical stripes on the French flag when used at sea as the civil or naval ensign or jack are 30:33:37, to give a good visual effect when flying, and therefore called optical proportions.
Zeljko Heimer, 23 September 1995
The Tricolore ensign was adopted by decree dated 27 pluviôse an II (15 February 1794) and by decree dated 7 March 1848. The proportions 30:33:37 were decided by regulation dated 17 May 1853.
Armand Noël du Payrat, 29 August 1997
The regulation of 1853 gives the precise measurements, in metres and centimetres, of the standard legal ensigns, numbered from 1 to 16. #1 is 9 m x 13.5 m and #16 is 50 cm x 75 cm.
Pierre Gay, 24 September 1998
by Ivan Sache
When hoisted vertically, the French national flag is very often forked. | <urn:uuid:f46fc7ee-9a63-4774-b936-c20b94c6f7b6> | {
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Phobias Part IV – Which Countries are More Fatphobic and Why?by Carla Clark, PhD | February 17, 2016
America currently has one of the highest rates of obesity in recorded history, making it the prime location for research on weight bias, or more specifically fat phobia. Such research has found that the more fat phobic one is, the more one believes negative stereotypes about people who are ‘fat’: that they are lazy, sloppy, gluttonous, lack willpower and discipline, and are therefore personally to blame for their weight.
Just today, a rather skinny male friend of mine posted a fat woman joke on Facebook and received scores of likes. And it’s not just on my news feed that weight bias remains socially acceptable and is rarely challenged. Is it any wonder? The sanctions to prohibit weight-based prejudice or discrimination are practically nonexistent.
The latest research, published in the International Journal of Obesity, extended high quality and standardized fat phobia research across the globe to compare the predictors and characteristics of fat phobics and non-fat phobics, with the ultimate goal of helping form weight stigma-reduction interventions that are effective, world over.
Nearly 3,000 adults from the US (1,261), Canada (621), Iceland (802) and Australia (182) were selected due to their countries having similar rates of overweight and obese adults (~60-70%), and comparable per capita income and Westernized democratic government.
All of the participants completed an online survey that included a way to measure beliefs in negative fat stereotypes (The Fat Phobia Scale) and stigma towards fat people (Universal Measure of Bias-FAT version), beliefs about the cause of obesity, the participants’ personal experiences with weight bias, and who they think is to blame.
Statistical analysis revealed many significant relationships between the answers within the questionnaire, identifying both similarities and differences between the four countries:
- Believing that people are personally responsible for obesity due to their personal behaviour and lack of willpower is central to being fat phobic in all four countries.
The researchers suggest that these beliefs might in fact be one of the causes of fat phobia. In contrast, people who believed more strongly in physiological and environmental causes of obesity had lower levels of weight bias.
- Men in all four countries were more likely than women to be fat phobic.
The researchers suggested that women were less likely to stigmatize those they consider fat, as relative to men, considering that they themselves are more heavily scrutinized and judged based on their physical appearance.
- In Iceland and Canada, obese people are less likely to be fat phobic, but in the US and Australia, personal weight doesn’t predict fat phobia.
But how can it be that someone who has likely been stigmatized for being overweight actually believes negative and damaging stereotypes about being fat? The authors suggest that obese Americans and Australians may be more likely to internalize societal obesity stigma. This is interesting considering that in the present study, there was a higher proportion of strongly fat phobic US and Australian participants than Canadian and Icelandic ones.
An alternative explanation is that many of the participants from the US and Australia generally didn’t strongly identify with the ‘obese population’, considering themselves to have a temporary condition unlike ‘other obese people’ who truly are to blame.
- Having family members or friends experience fat phobia makes people less likely to be fat phobic in all three countries, but personally experiencing anti-fat stigma makes no difference.
It might seem more logical that personally experiencing prejudice would make someone less likely to be prejudiced towards others and themselves. However, the results of the study again may point to fat stigmatizion causing the victim of stigma to also adopt the same negative views and place blame both on themselves and other overweight and obese people.
Anti-fat stigma reduction
The implications of these findings for stigma-reduction campaigns includes developing campaigns that reduce beliefs about personal blaming and shaming for ones own body weight, and providing education regarding contributing factors outside of personal control, particularly for men, as well as placing a stronger emphasis on self-stigma in more fat phobic countries.’
Bacon JG, Scheltema KE, & Robinson BE (2001). Fat phobia scale revisited: the short form. International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 25 (2), 252-7 PMID: 11410828
Hatzenbuehler ML, Keyes KM, & Hasin DS (2009). Associations between perceived weight discrimination and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the general population. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 17 (11), 2033-9 PMID: 19390520
Latner, J., O’Brien, K., Durso, L., Brinkman, L., & MacDonald, T. (2008). Weighing obesity stigma: the relative strength of different forms of bias International Journal of Obesity, 32 (7), 1145-1152 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2008.53
Puhl, R., Latner, J., O’Brien, K., Luedicke, J., Danielsdottir, S., & Forhan, M. (2015). A multinational examination of weight bias: predictors of anti-fat attitudes across four countries International Journal of Obesity, 39 (7), 1166-1173 DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2015.32
Sutin AR, & Terracciano A (2013). Perceived weight discrimination and obesity. PloS one, 8 (7) PMID: 23894586
No future articles scheduled.
This Sunday February 14th (9 p.m. ET), the Emmy-nominated Brain Games tv-show is back! Wonder junkie Jason Silva returns to our screens, teaming up with... READ MORE →
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Like what you read? Give to Brain Blogger sponsored by GNIF with a tax-deductible donation.Make A Donation | <urn:uuid:38ed2535-e0fb-40d3-a251-0ddc421093b3> | {
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Easter is the central Christian feast. On Easter Sunday, christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.
Over the years, Easter has lost its religious aspect and is now regarded by most as a regular holiday.
On Easter Sunday, children go looking for Easter eggs which have been brought by the Easter bunny or the Easter bells.
Easter lasts for two days and is traditionally celebrated on sunday and monday.
Those days are better known as Easter Sunday and Easter Monday or First and Second Easter.
On our website, we offer you a wide selection of coloring pages, pictures, photographs and handicrafts.
Everything has been classified in themes which are commonly used in primary education.
The coloring pages are especially designed to be used throughout the year at school. | <urn:uuid:87cb466e-798d-4ec0-9835-58ad74c03810> | {
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You set down your chopsticks and push back from the table, leaving a clean plate that used to be filled with sesame chicken, lo mein, and potstickers. Your belly may be full of Chinese food, but there's just a little room left for dessert. Time to break open a fortune cookie!
Fortune cookies are uniquely-shaped, crisp cookies made from a simple recipe of flour, sugar, oil and either vanilla or almond flavoring. They are called fortune cookies, because each cookie breaks open to reveal a small slip of paper — a “fortune" — with a prediction for the future, a wise saying, a Chinese word or phrase with its translation, or even a list of lucky numbers.
Exactly who invented the fortune cookie and when is the subject of some debate. Some people claim Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant from San Francisco, first served fortune cookies in the late 1890s or early 1900s. This was a way of saying “thank you" to visitors to the famous Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, which he designed.
Others claim the fortune cookie was invented in 1918 by David Jung, a Chinese immigrant living in Los Angeles who founded the Hong Kong Noodle Company. Jung was worried about the homeless people living on the streets near his shop. He created fortune cookies and passed them out for free. Each cookie contained a small slip of paper with an inspirational Bible verse.
Some Japanese people believe fortune cookies got their start as early as the 19th century in Kyoto, Japan. Cracker-like cookies — called tsujiura senbei — were popular in Kyoto. They were larger and darker than modern fortune cookies, but they did contain a fortune tucked into the bend of the cookie.
Regardless of their exact origin, fortune cookies became very popular in the United States after World War II. Perhaps because desserts were not traditionally part of Chinese cuisine, Americans enjoyed ending a Chinese meal with fortune cookies that seemed familiar, yet exotic.
At first, fortune cookies were made by hand using chopsticks. Today, they are mass-produced by special machines. The world's largest fortune cookie maker — Wonton Food Inc. — is located in Long Island City, New York. It ships over 60 million fortune cookies every month!
Around the world, more than three billion fortune cookies are made every year. Isn't that incredible? Just do the math. If there are that many fortune cookies, how many meals are served in Chinese restaurants each year? It must be billions!
As for predicting the future, no, fortune cookies don't have special powers of foresight. The fortune cookie you open at a Chinese restaurant came into your hands randomly. If it happens to contain a fortune that comes true, it's just coincidence.
Besides, many fortunes don't even predict the future. Instead, they may offer simple advice that may or may not be helpful. If you're looking for insight into your future, you probably don't want to place too much importance on a tiny slip of paper from a mass-produced cookie!
You might, however, want to use the “lucky numbers" sometimes listed in fortune cookies if you play the lottery. In March 2005, over 100 people claimed second-place prizes in the Powerball lottery, because they had all used the same set of lucky numbers contained in a batch of fortune cookies! | <urn:uuid:6d2c71e4-958c-4f87-b28f-0eb78c8619d0> | {
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Conflict can arise in any group for any number of reasons. Your group can be a sports team, an on-campus group, an off-campus group, or maybe just the group of friends you hang out with. Dealing with conflict can be a stressful situation, but there are a few tips that will make it a whole lot easier.
Of course you want to wave your magic wand and make the conflict go away. This, unfortunately, is outside the realm of physical possibilities. Instead, conflict should be approached as soon as possible. If left too long, interpersonal or group conflict can become a hindrance to group and personal growth. When approaching conflict, map out what you are going to say ahead of time, think about word choice, tone, and body language. Try using the "I" statement method:
One SU student, who has had training as a summer camp counselor thinks, "the most important thing you can do after encountering conflict is to wait until you are out of the situation that is bringing the conflict, or wait till there is a time and place you can look at the conflict objectively, so you aren't responding to the conflict right out of the gate, but have time to think about it first. Things always seem worse right after they happen." | <urn:uuid:e9dcda0f-090f-4f13-b913-7cde9ce3ffd6> | {
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Checklist for reading and critiquing a research article 1 this article will help me with my understanding of how to read and critique a research article. Critiquing research articles tudent c l earning s entre a critique is a systematic way of objectively reviewing a piece of research to highlight both its. Research article critique this research paper research article critique and other 63,000+ term papers, college essay examples and free essays are available now on. You are the student and, of course, you face such a task as writing different research papers you follow different requirements and present your work in the best way. Our writers will provide you with a professionally-written article critique which will help you avoid the low rate research papers and other papers writing.
Article #1 fully critique the following article (including the research conducted by the authors) posted in the documents tab: core competencies and sustainable. Psychology students are often asked to write a critique paper evaluating critique papers require students to conduct a critical and the research process. Here is a really good example of a scholary research critique written by a student in edrs 6301 the student who submitted this paper last semester earned a 100 on. Nursing research critique order description review the quantitative and qualitative research article examples included under the “examples of two types of research”.
Critique research articles mean careful and critical appraisal of strength and limitations of a piece of research, rather than hunting for and exposing mistake. Quantitative article critique: factors affecting the successful employment of transition-age youths with visual impairments but little research has.
How to critique a journal article but wait, what kind of a journal article is it: an empirical/research article, or a review of literature. Nurses are expected to provide the best standards of care possible for their patients and clients, and in order to do this, they are required to pr. Critiquing qualitative research essay you develop a critique research papers critiquing literature review of history is to get an essay supporting point.View | <urn:uuid:cc7e9cf6-5855-4fa2-aaa3-c0cfc0d3622a> | {
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|The Elizabeth Islands|
|Major Islands listed in order from east to west|
|Nonamesset Uncatena Naushon Pasque Nashawena Penikese Cuttyhunk|
|Bachelor Baret Bull Cedar Gosnold Gull Rock Veckatimest Weepecket Islands|
Penikese Island is a 75-acre (300,000 m2) island off the coast of Massachusetts, United States, in Buzzards Bay. It is one of the Elizabeth Islands, which make up the town of Gosnold, Massachusetts. Penikese is located near the west end of the Elizabeth island chain.
Penikese Island enters the historical record in 1602 AD when the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold and some of his crew visited the island. Their visit frightened four visiting Wampanoag Indians into hiding, and the explorers stole their canoe.
Originally tree covered, at some later time the tree cover was lost, and the island was later used for pasturing sheep. To this day, it remains primarily grass covered. Owned by several successive owners, it eventually became owned by a businessman named John Anderson who used it for vacationing.
In early 1873, Louis Agassiz, the famous Swiss-American naturalist, persuaded Anderson to give him the island as a site for and $50,000 to endow a school for natural history where students would study nature instead of books. The school opened in July 1873, initially headed by Louis Agassiz. Following his death in December, his son Alexander Agassiz ran the school. The school was closed following a fire in 1875, but some of the former students opened in 1888 the Marine Biological Laboratory, in nearby Woods Hole.
In 1904, following local opposition to two previously selected sites on the mainland, the state of Massachusetts purchased the island for $25,000 to use as a leprosy hospital to isolate and treat all Massachusetts residents with the disease. When opened, it had five patients. After being open for 16 years, it was closed in 1921 and the thirteen patients were transferred to the federal leprosy hospital in Carville, Louisiana. At the closing of the hospital, the state burnt and then dynamited the buildings, and all that remains of it is a small cemetery.
The island remains under the ownership of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is primarily a bird sanctuary. There is no permanent population on the island. A residential school for special-needs juvenile boys located on the island, opened in 1973, so at any time there could be found school staff and some students on the island. There may also be visitors and researchers on island from time to time, as the island is publicly owned and is still used at times for biological research. Beginning in 1990, the island was used as a test site for efforts to reintroduce the endangered American Burying Beetle, which appears to have succeeded; by 1997 the population had persisted for at least five generations since the last release.
Penikese Island School
Located 12 miles off Woods Hole, the Penikese Island School operated as a private residential school for troubled boys since it was founded in 1973 by Woods Hole resident George Cadawalader. The school suspended operations in February 2011 due to funding cuts by the state of Massachusetts, with plans to restart operations with a changed focus and sources of revenue. The school had a capacity of nine students, and employed 15 full-time staff who rotate shifts on-island, in addition to eight administrative staff and a boat captain. The school was alternative to juvenile detention, and earned a reputation for its intimate size, quaint setting, and “choice and natural consequences” philosophy, attracting media attention and countless documentaries about the program. The school's mission served teenage boys who had not recovered with more traditional programs. Penikese Island School was more expensive than jail or non-residential schools, said Executive Director Toby Lineaweaver. But state funding trends have not supported the residential therapeutic approach. Revenue for the program remaining from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, the Massachusetts Department of Education, and private donations. The three remaining students enrolled at the time of suspension of operations in 2011 were transferred off-island, said Mr. Lineaweaver. One graduated from the program, one entered a group home, and another returned to his family and public school, he said.
- Schneider, Paul (2001). The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket (illustrated ed.). New York: Macmillan. p. 12. ISBN 0-8050-6734-5. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- Jordan, D. S. (April 1874). "The Flora of Penikese Island". The American Naturalist, an Illustrated Magazine of Natural History (Salem, Mass.: Peabody Academy of Science) VIII: 13 (193). Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- Laux, E. Vernon (23 May 2000). "Is It a Plane? No, It's a Bird And a Very Rare Bird Indeed". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- "History: Penikese Island History: The Anderson School". Penikese Island School. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- "The Anderson School: Opening of the Establishment on Penikese Island by Prof. Agassiz" (PDF). The New York Times. 19 July 1873. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- Lattin, Frank H. (1895). Penikese: A Reminiscence by one of its Pupils. Albion, N.Y.: Frank Lattin. p. 43. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- Ken, Hartnett (26 November 2005). "The tragedy of Penikese Island". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- "General FAQ". Penikese Island School. Retrieved 18 March 2009.[dead link]
- Reading, Richard P.; Miller, Brian (2000). Endangered Animals: a Reference Guide to Conflicting Issues (illustrated ed.). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 15. ISBN 0-313-30816-0. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- Molly A.K. Connors (February 8, 2011). "Penikese Island shutters classroom". Cap Cod Times. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
- The Penikese Island School website
- Cuttyhunk Historical Society, the Museum of the Elizabeth Islands | <urn:uuid:d7e58584-c117-47e5-9f8e-cf93e0200de5> | {
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Greetings to all our Village plant enthusiasts. Welcome to this weeks’ “bi-Weekly Plant of Interest”. This week we’re focusing on a member of the Leguminosae (Pea or legume) family.
Trifolium burchellianum (Wild Clover in English, Wildeklaver in Afrikaans and musa-pelo in Sesotho) is a creeping annual herb growing to a regal height of just 200mm. For something so small it manages to scale to incredible heights of around 2800 m A.S.L., and enjoys moist grassland and grassland-rock ecotones. This tough little herb has a wide geographical distribution, ranging from the Western Cape through to the equatorial regions of Africa.
As the name Trifolium implies, the leaves of this herb are arranged in 3’s (tri = 3 and folium = leaves). T. burchellianum differs from a very similar species – T. africanum in that the former has broad leaves and pink florets, whilst the latter has narrow leaves with almost red florets. Their distribution does overlap so look closely, as what may appear as a single subspecies could possibly be 2. T. burchellianum is one of only 2 subspecies that are indigenous to Africa.
Leaves are hairless, 3-foliolate, broad (25 X 20mm) and wedge or heart shaped and very finely toothed. The floret head (approx. 30mm) is held aloft a stalk of around 70mm and is clustered and pink/purple. The flowers are small, often measuring less than 10mm. Flowering: Dec-March. Uses:
Our rangers report using this herb as a light snack as kids. The flower head is predominantly eaten and has a cabbage-like aftertaste – not completely unpleasant. It could make for an interesting decoration in some food dishes such as pasta or even a curry. Livestock have been seen grazing this species as an almost favourite food-source.
Reportedly, T. burchellianum has been used in traditional medicines – it can be chewed, infused as a tea to combat heart ailments, it has diuretic properties, helps induce sweeting and cleansing and is used in the treatment of sore throats.
The fragrant flower-heads are frequented by insects such as butterflies during the summer season. It may also have a role as ground cover in relatively well-shaded areas.
The SANBI conservation status for T. burchellianum is listed as of Least Concern.
Click here for more information on plants in the Clarens Village Nature Reserve
Click here for more information on the Clarens Village Nature Reserve
Head ranger: Clarens Village Nature Reserve | <urn:uuid:d1de7443-e552-42aa-8fbf-ce7923f6cf67> | {
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The City has a regular pest control program in place, which involves installing and monitoring bait stations in public places, and we place additional traps in response to community complaints.
There's no accurate way to count the number of rats in the city. However, it is not uncommon to see more rats in summer as people spend more time outdoors.
The City of Sydney ensures events in parks have strict waste controls in place. The City's waste teams clean parks daily to minimise food available to vermin.
City staff say there doesn't appear to be any recent increase in numbers of rats.
Council regularly monitors bin collections to ensure they are carried out efficiently and with minimal adverse impact on residents and the amenity of the street. This involves regular site audits and visits as well as fortnightly meetings with contractors and performance reviews to make sure their contract obligations are met.
We are currently working with residents and businesses in Llankelly Place, Kings Cross, to stop bins being left on the street between collections. Staff are working to have bins collected from within buildings, which is normal practice across the City's area.
The City of Sydney carries out local waste collection and recycling services for Housing NSW residences in our government area. Managing and removing any illegally dumped items from its properties is the responsibility of HNSW.
Winter is the most active time of year for rats feeding. Generally, rats will seek out food and water close to the nest or in familiar locations.
The City advises property owners to remove overgrown vegetation and accumulated rubbish which might attract vermin, and ensure regular pest control is carried out.
The City monitors public areas regularly and responds to reported sightings.
In areas outside the City's jurisdiction but in our local government area, such as railway stations, the City liaises with the relevant state agency to ensure complaints are addressed.
Councils have powers under state legislation to impose fines for breaches with adverse environmental or health impacts.
People can report issues to the City's customer service team on [email protected] or phone health and building on 9265 9333.
Download this fact sheet as a .pdf: The Facts on Rats in the City | <urn:uuid:2561351e-ff1e-4b06-9dff-24b9a305caf1> | {
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AI video editing software uses artificial intelligence to make video editing easier, more efficient, and in some cases more creative, for editors. The use of AI for video editing is still in its nascent stages, but the technology is improving, literally, on a daily basis. To what extent AI will impact the film, video, and motion graphics industries and professional editors is still unknown, but it does promise to change the way we edit and produce films, videos, and TV programs.
How is AI used in video editing?
Long used in the video gaming industry, AI is also already used in e-commerce, such as with additional product recommendations, and in the voice recognition systems in cars. In addition, AI is already being used in video production in a number of ways.
- Jump’s AI-powered video editing software enables professional editors to quickly find all instances of specific people in raw video footage. In addition, it can find all instances of a specific person smiling or showing another type of emotion. This makes it easy for editors to make sure they get the best shots of individuals for final cuts, movie trailers, television promos, and more. As well, it ensures no one of left out of a final edit, which is especially useful for an editor who is unfamiliar with the material or the subjects they’ve been asked to edit.
- Jump also uses AI to find specific scenes in video footage, another AI feature that helps speed up production time.
- Google is already curating online videos based on key terms and editing them to create short clips for previews.
- AI and machine learning (ML) are now being used for automated cropping, color balancing, and audio processing of films.
- Snapchat is using AI in conjunction with computer generated imagery (CGI) to make the face filters and face swap effects in their app more realistic-looking. (Source: CXO Today)
Some future applications of AI in video editing processes might include:
- Sophisticated clip organization based on what is being said in a film, such as key phrases used and who is saying them.
- Auto-editing of entire films that are formulaic, such as news stories or corporate videos. (Source: EditStock)
It is not expected that AI will take away film editors’ jobs. Although, it could impact very junior editing jobs that only do the tedious work. AI does stand to shift the way editors do their jobs and also where they spend their time on projects.
Film and video editing is still an art, and just as the electric guitar did not destroy the acoustic guitar, but it did change the way music was played and create new genres of music, AI is adding exciting layers of functionality to video editing that will appeal to technically curious video editors who like to continually improve their skill sets. | <urn:uuid:e880b098-4419-4d98-871d-896e079f35f2> | {
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The Ways to Freedom Part II
Lesson 10 of 15
Objective: SWBAT understand the meaning and importance of the Underground Railroad by reading from a website and answering questions.
Students come to the rug to sit in their "just right spots" one table pod at a time.
"Today students you will be continuing what we started yesterday using your ipads to research and answer questions 6-10 about the Underground Railroad. Here is a copy of the questions you will be answering."
Show student worksheet under document camera.
Call on a student to read the instructions. Highlight the directions that instruct students to write three sentences to answer each question.
"Yesterday most of you were very successful on this learning task. Now, I want you do do a quick turn and talk and discuss what was easy and what was challenging about the task."
Process what the students have to say about the task.
Instruct all students to silently read question 6. Call on a volunteer to read question aloud to the class. "Watch me as I go to the internet and bring up a website that has lots of interesting and factual information about the Underground Railroad."
At this point you can click on the electronic link to the website that has lots of information on the history of the Underground Railroad.
"Watch as I Click on the link "about the underground railroad" right here in the upper left hand side."
Demonstrate by clicking on the number six in the heading, then continue by reading the question and the following paragraph. Then demo how to write a main idea sentence on the student worksheet. Followed by writing two more complete sentences adding additional details from the text on the website.
"Students, did you see how I wrote the information from the text in my answer, but I did not copy it exactly. Sometimes, you will need to quote exactly what a text says, and then you will need to use quotation marks to show that the words you are using are not your own. But instead were said by someone else. Today you are using the information from the text in an accurate way. You are not changing the facts, but instead writing them in your own way. Today, I want you to write accurate facts and try putting them in our own words."
Ask if the students if they have questions, if not hand out the student worksheet and release students one row at a time to get an ipad and to start their independent research.
Continue to dismiss students from the rug to get an ipad out of the cart. Once the students are settled, interrupt them by saying, "Remember students you can use the website listed on your worksheet to find the answers to questions 6-10 about the history of the Underground Railroad. I am challenging you to write accurate information from the text by putting it in your own words. Remember to write three sentences.
As students are working circulate throughout the classroom monitoring student work.
Be on the lookout for student work that you can use during the share out portion of the workshop.
10 minutes before the end of readers workshop, ring the Tibetan Bell to gain students attention. Select several students to put their work under the doc camera and have them read the question and their three sentence answer.
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There is a Provençal legend that Mary Magdalene and her brother Lazarus, expelled by persecutions from the Holy Land, traversed the Mediterranean with some companions in a frail boat with neither rudder nor mast and landed at the place called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer near Arles. Mary Magdalene came to Marseille, converted the whole of Provence, and afterwards retired to a cave on a hill by Marseille.
And every day at every hour canonical she was lifted up in the air of angels, and heard the glorious song of the heavenly companies with her bodily ears. Of which she was fed and filled with right sweet meats, and then was brought again by the angels unto her proper place, in such wise as she had no need of corporal nourishing. (Legenda Aurea)
The cave, known as La Sainte-Baume, is now a pilgrimage site. In an analogy to Mary of Egypt, the penitent Magdalene is usually depicted naked, but covered by her hair, a motif also found in the legend of Saint Agnes or Lady Godiva. This is not something that works very well in more realistic sculpture or painting. Some artists have interpreted as a sort of fur that she grew, others have taken the “covered” rather loosely, and penitent Magdalene became one of the “canonical nudes.”
Above is a 16th century polychrome lime tree statue now at the Louvre, purchased from the collection of Siegfried Lämmle in 1902. It is usually ascribed to Gregor Erhart, who died 1540. Photograph by Ricardo André Frantz. | <urn:uuid:906d3fdc-44ce-4252-a302-14ab13311d47> | {
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It began much like the common cold. Yet within a day fever took over black swellings the size of baseballs appeared on the neck and finally a highly contagious bloody cough quickly sealed the victim's fate. During the worst biological disaster in the history of mankind the so-called black death released an indiscriminate fury which shook the very foundations of human order. Religious hysteria began to break out and in desperation frenzied masses scrambled to find a scapegoat. When all was said and done nearly one-third of Europe's population had been completely wiped out and devastated survivors were left to contend with a world forever changed both socially and economically. In this feature-length special THE HISTORY CHANNEL investigates the origins of this devastating moment in human history and explores the many questions surrounding the terrifying possibility of a modern-day biological threat. DVD Features: Interactive Menus; Scene Selection (Note - shot in HD). | <urn:uuid:e368f65d-414e-437a-90f8-3f46b1db4f03> | {
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PORTLAND, Ore.—A new gallium nitride (GaN) process purifies that high-energy material by eliminating up to 1,000 times as many defects as are typically present, according to its inventors at North Carolina State University (NCSU).
The NCSU researchers predict that light-emitting diodes (LEDs), power transistors and other devices cast in GaN will be able to double their outputs by switching to the new process.
The process, invented by EE professor Salah Bedair and materials-science professor Nadia El-Masry, intentionally introduces voids into the GaN film near its interface with a sapphire substrate. As a result, the thousands of defects typically present are sucked into the voids thereby boosting the output of the devices using that purified film.
"The voids act like sinks for defects and dislocations near the interface, as well as acting as expansion joints for lattice mismatches," said Bedair. "We are in the process of measuring its affect on devices. Besides LEDs, we also believe that other GaN devices, like power transistors, could experience improved performance and reliability by using our process."
Bedair discovered the technique accidentally when his graduate student, Pavel Frajtag, complained that nanowires had formed in its bulk-grown GaN films when using a maskless inductively coupled plasma-reactive ion etching technique. Bedair asked him to get rid of the nanowires using epitaxial overgrowth, which resulting in the void formation and dislocation trapping effect that purified the film by 1,000X.
The GaN film tested was about two microns thick with ellipsoid shaped voids of about 0.25 micron in diameter surrounded by a film with 1,000-times fewer defects. The voids themselves did not degrade the performance of the film, but on the contrary were estimated by the researchers estimate to double its output.
Currently the researchers are characterizing the material further, as well as building LEDs and other devices with the process in order to prove its ability to boost GaN device's outputs.
A new process for gallium nitride (GaN) films removes efficiency robbing defects--dark streaks (a)--by trapping them in voids--elipsoids (b). | <urn:uuid:3d9febab-1e56-4129-8af8-1334a963e094> | {
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- What is Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs)?
- Risk Factors
- Clinical Examination
- How is it Diagnosed
What is Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours (GISTs)?
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are cancers that arise from cells within the gastrointestinal tract. The most common location for a GIST to develop is the stomach (50-60%), followed by the small intestine (30-40%), colon and rectum (5-10%), and oesophagus (5%). Rarely cases have been reported occurring outside the gastrointestinal tract in the gallbladder, pancreas, liver and urinary bladder, which are referred to as extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
Due to the lack of a complete definition and classification the precise incidence of GIST is unknown, however, it is estimated to be roughly 10-20 per million people per year. GIST accounts for less than 1% of all gastrointestinal cancers. More than 90% of GISTs occur in adults over 40 years of age.
GISTs are equally as common in males as females and do not appear to be associated with geographic location, ethnicity, race or occupation.
Currently, there are no known specific risk factors for developing GIST.
Most cases occur are not inherited (sporadic). However, there are reports of several families in which multiple family members are affected. In these families the mutation is passed down from parent to child and occurs in every cell in their body not just the cancerous cells (as in sporadic cases). Hereditary syndromes in which GISTs occur include:
- Familial gastrointestinal stromal tumour syndrome (FGS): Appears to be an autosomal dominant syndrome equally affecting males and females. Typically individuals are diagnosed at a younger age than for sporadic cases and have multiple GISTs. Members may also show skin changes including hyperpigmentation, or increased numbers of nevi.
- Carney triad: Triad of GIST, pulmonary chondromas and extra-adrenal paragangliomas first described in 1977. Most reported cases have been in females aged less than 30 years. Family history is not common and it is thought to be a sporadic condition.
- Carney-Stratakis syndrome: Autosomal dominant predisposition syndrome in which individuals develop either paraganglioma, GIST or both.
- Neurofibromatosis type 1: Complex disorder affecting 1 in every 3,000 live births. As in FGS, tumours tend to be multiple, are most common in the small bowel and diagnosed earlier than sporadic cases.
GISTs present with signs and symptoms related to the presence of a mass or bleeding. Bleeding is the most common symptom which may occur into the abdominal cavity resulting in acute abdominal pain or into the gastrointestinal tract lumen which may present as vomiting blood (haematemesis), blood stained stools (melena) or anaemia. Abdominal masses are less common and depending on their location can cause a variety of symptoms including obstruction.
Many people present with vague symptoms, which are not disease specific, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, weight loss or early satiety. As a result, up to 50% of GISTs will have already metastasised by the time they are diagnosed.
Only 70% of individuals are symptomatic, 20% do not have any symptoms and 10% have a GIST detected at autopsy.
Clinical examination is guided by the individuals’s history and presentation.
Typically it will involve imaging studies including x-ray, computed tomography (CT), and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Once a lesion has been identified, a pathologist will need to confirm whether the lesion is cancerous or not and if so what type of tumour it represents
How is it Diagnosed
A diagnosis is made based on the location and tissue type of the identified mass. Molecular studies can be used to identify GISTs with specific mutations, which may make them either more or less responsive to treatment.
GISTs exhibit an uncertain clinical behaviour. They vary from benign to malignant.
Several factors including size, appearance when examined microscopically, cellular characteristics and their genetics have been examined over many years, although, we are not yet unable to predict their behaviour.
Depending on the stage of the disease, several doctors may be involved in the management including an oncologist (doctor specialising in cancers), gastroenterologist (doctor specialising in the gastrointestinal tract) and/or a surgeon.
There are several questions that you may wish to ask your doctor including:
- The location of the GIST
- If the GIST has spread to other regions
- How it is best treated
- If there any other treatments available
- The pros and cons of any treatments offered
- The side effects of treatments offered
- How treatment side effects will be managed
- The likely success of treatment
In cases where there is a single defined lesion, the gold standard treatment is complete surgical removal. This is associated with a 48-65% five year survival rate.
If the tumour is large and its complete removal would lead to significant morbidity or loss of organ function, a medication called imatinib (Glivec) may be administered prior to its removal in an attempt to reduce its size and optimise the outcome. Partial removal is generally only performed in palliative (end of life) cases where you are not aiming for cure, but rather trying to improve quality of life by minimising symptoms.
Metastatic or recurrent disease
For recurrent disease or disease that has spread elsewhere (metastatic) first line treatment involves the administration of imatinib with or without surgery. In scientific studies 50% of individuals with GIST responded to imatinib and approximately 75-85% showed at least disease stabilisation. Two-year survival rates after imatinib therapy are approximately 70% and 50% of individuals will not show disease progression.
Current data shows a dose of 400mg/day is safe, efficacious and well tolerated. Increasing doses may be considered in cases of disease progression, resistance or for individuals with specific genetic characteristics. Side effects of imatinib include oedema (swelling), nausea, muscle cramps, diarrhoea, headache, dermatitis, fatigue, vitiligo (skin pigmentation), hypothyroidism and abdominal pain. Discontinuation of treatment is associated with a high risk of relapse and for this reason, treatment should only be discontinued in cases where the disease continues to progress despite treatment, unacceptable side effects or the individual refuses further treatment.
Some GISTs do not respond to imatinib and in these cases alternative medications may be used. Sunitinib (Sutent) has been approved for use in GISTs not responsive to imatinib. This drug works in a similar way but seems to be more efficacious in some of the tumours poorly responsive to imatinib. Other agents are currently being investigated in scientific studies.
GISTs are poorly responsive to conventional chemotherapy (<10% response) and the use of radiotherapy is restricted due to resulting toxicity to surrounding structures.
As GISTs have an unpredictable behaviour, long term follow up is essential. This should involve regular physical examination and imaging studies. CT imaging is recommended 3-6 monthly for at least 5 years. Other investigations including endoscopy may also be used for follow up.
For more information on stomach cancer, including different types of cancer affecting the stomach, see Stomach Cancer.
- Stamatakos M, Douzinas E, Stefanaki C, et al. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor. World J Surg Oncol. 2009;7:61. [Abstract | Full text]
- Agarwal R, Robson M. Inherited predisposition to gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2009;23(1):1-13. [Abstract]
- Nishida T, Hirota S, Taniguchi M, et al. Familial gastrointestinal stromal tumours with germline mutation of the KIT gene. Nat Genet. 1998;19(4):323-4. [Abstract]
- Carney JA, Sheps SG, Go VL, Gordon H. The triad of gastric leiomyosarcoma, functioning extra-adrenal paraganglioma and pulmonary chondroma. N Engl J Med. 1977;296(26):1517-8. [Abstract]
- McWhinney SR, Pasini B, Stratakis CA. Familial gastrointestinal stromal tumors and germ-line mutations. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(10):1054-6. [Full text]
- Takazawa Y, Sakurai S, Sakuma Y, et al. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors of neurofibromatosis type I (von Recklinghausen’s disease). Am J Surg Pathol. 2005;29(6):755-63. [Abstract]
- Kinoshita K, Hirota S, Isozaki K, et al. Absence of c-kit gene mutations in gastrointestinal stromal tumours from neurofibromatosis type 1 patients. J Pathol. 2004;202(1):80-5. [Abstract]
- Rubin BP, Antonescu CR, Scott-Browne JP, et al. A knock-in mouse model of gastrointestinal stromal tumor harboring kit K641E. Cancer Res. 2005;65(15):6631-9. [Abstract | Full text]
- Graadt van Roggen JF, van Velthuysen ML, Hogendoorn PC. The histopathological differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. J Clin Pathol. 2001;54(2):96-102. [Abstract | Full text]
- Akahoshi K, Sumida Y, Matsui N, et al. Preoperative diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration. World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13(14):2077-82. [Abstract | Full text]
- Tornillo L, Terracciano LM. An update on molecular genetics of gastrointestinal stromal tumours. J Clin Pathol. 2006;59(6):557-63. [Abstract | Full text]
- Corless CL, Fletcher JA, Heinrich MC. Biology of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(18):3813-25. [Abstract | Full text]
- Hoeben A, Schöffski P, Debiec-Rychter M. Clinical implications of mutational analysis in gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Br J Cancer. 2008;98(4):684-8. [Abstract | Full text]
- Blackstein ME, Blay JY, Corless C, et al. Gastrointestinal stromal tumours: Consensus statement on diagnosis and treatment. Can J Gastroenterol. 2006;20(3):157-63. [Abstract | Full text]
- Parfitt JR, Streutker CJ, Riddell RH, Driman DK. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: A contemporary review. Pathol Res Pract. 2006;202(12):837-47. [Abstract]
- Joensuu H. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Ann Oncol. 2006;17(Suppl 10):x280-6. [Abstract | Full text] | <urn:uuid:088c4e77-f4cd-4bb1-9656-507b74d98a69> | {
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What is neurofibromatosis type 2?
Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a hereditary condition most commonly associated with bilateral vestibular schwannomas, also known as acoustic neuromas. These are benign (noncancerous) tumors that occur on the nerves for balance leading to the inner ear. Although these tumors are benign, they can cause hearing and balance problems.
People with NF2 also have an increased risk of other tumors of the nervous system. These tumors are generally not cancerous, but they may still lead to significant medical problems, especially if there are multiple tumors in or next to the brain. Other nervous system tumor types include:
People with NF2 are at an increased risk of developing cataracts in the eyes and benign skin tumors. They may have café-au-lait spots, which are light brown pigmentation, the color of “coffee with milk”, like individuals with Neurofibromatosis Type 1, but people with NF2 usually have fewer café-au-lait spots than people with NF1.
Signs of NF2 usually develop in the late teenage years or early 20s. Multiple features have been associated with NF2, but the overall cancer risk is low. The number of features present and the severity of symptoms can vary among people with NF2, even within the same family.
What causes NF2?
NF2 is a genetic condition. This means that the cancer risk and other features of NF2 can be passed from generation to generation in a family. The gene associated with NF2 is also called NF2. A mutation (alteration) in the NF2 gene, which is a “tumor suppressor,” gives a person an increased risk of developing cancerous and benign tumors and other symptoms of NF2. Most people with NF2 have a mutation in the NF2 gene. Research is ongoing to learn more about the causes of NF2.
How is NF2 inherited?
Normally, every cell has two copies of each gene: one inherited from the mother and one inherited from the father. NF2 follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, in which a mutation happens in only one copy of the gene. This means that a parent with a gene mutation may pass along a copy of their normal gene or a copy of the gene with the mutation. Therefore, a child who has a parent with a mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting that mutation. A brother, sister, or parent of a person who has a mutation also has a 50% chance of having the same mutation.
Options exist for couples interested in having a child when they know that one of them carries a gene mutation that increases the risk for this hereditary cancer syndrome. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a medical procedure done in conjunction with in-vitro fertilization (IVF). It allows people who carry a specific known genetic mutation to have children who do not carry the mutation. A woman’s eggs are removed and fertilized in a laboratory. When the embryos reach a certain size, one cell is removed and is tested for the hereditary condition in question. The parents can then choose to transfer embryos that do not have the mutation. PGD has been in use for over a decade, and more recently has been used for several hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. However, this is a complex procedure with financial, physical, and emotional factors for couples to consider before starting. For more information, talk with an assisted reproduction specialist at a fertility clinic.
How common is NF2?
It is estimated that about one in 40,000 people has NF2. About 50% of people with NF2 do not have any family history of the condition. They have a de novo (new) mutation in the NF2 gene.
How is NF2 diagnosed?
Many sets of diagnostic guidelines have been proposed for NF2, and future revisions are likely. The features are very specific, and it is important to have a careful evaluation by a doctor who has experience with NF2 to make the diagnosis. In general, someone is suspected of having NF2 if they have:
Bilateral, meaning both sides, vestibular schwannomas, which are tumors that grow from the nerve that controls hearing and balance
A parent, sibling, or child with NF2 and either of the following:
A single vestibular schwannoma diagnosed before age 30, or
Any two of the following: a meningioma, glioma, schwannoma, or cataract
A single vestibular schwannoma diagnosed before age 30 and a meningioma, glioma, schwannoma, or cataract
Multiple meningiomas and a unilateral, meaning affecting only one side, vestibular schwannoma diagnosed under age 30, a glioma, schwannoma, or cataract
Genetic testing for mutations in the NF2 gene is available for people diagnosed with NF2.
How are tumors related to NF2 treated?
Although the primary method of treating tumors associated with NF2 is surgery, many people with this disease have tumors that grow slowly or not at all. Such patients can be closely monitored in an approach called watchful waiting, watch and wait, or active surveillance. In this approach, active treatment would begin if there are signs that the tumors could cause neurological problems or the pattern of growth threatens brain or spinal cord function.
Specifically regarding bilateral acoustic neuromas, a major goal of treatment is to preserve the patient’s hearing for as long as possible, even though it is known that hearing will eventually be lost at some point. Surgery is usually done either in patients who can no longer hear or in those with a small tumor where a meaningful attempt can be made at preserving the nerve that makes hearing possible.
In addition, focused radiation therapy is sometimes used for vestibular schwannomas. Like surgery, it carries a risk that the treatment will hurt the patient’s hearing in order to control the tumor. The other tumors seen in this disease are usually meningiomas and ependymomas and are typically removed only if they grow to an extent that they put enough pressure on the nearby brain or spinal cord to affect its functioning.
Reports of using bevacizumab (Avastin), a drug that interferes with blood vessel formation to stop tumor growth, for treating vestibular schwannomas associated with NF2, have been encouraging. Although only a few patients have been treated with this drug, the results include both measureable shrinkage of tumor and partial restoration of hearing loss in some, but not all, patients. This is an experimental treatment and needs more testing, but it holds promise that other drugs may be proven effective as well. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials, which are research studies, for new treatments.
What are the estimated cancer risks associated with NF2?
The lifetime risk of cancer in a person with NF2 is considered to be low.
What are the screening options for NF2?
Suggested screenings for people with NF2 or at risk for NF2 include:
A yearly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), beginning in the teenage years
Hearing evaluations, including audiometry and a brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) test, which is a test that detects electrical activity in the cochlea and auditory pathways
Screening recommendations may change over time as new technologies are developed and more is learned about NF2. It is important to talk with your doctor about appropriate screening tests. In some areas, comprehensive NF2 clinics may be available to help with coordination of medical care.
Learn more about what to expect when having common tests, procedures, and scans.
Questions to ask the doctor
If you are concerned about your risk of cancerous and benign tumors, talk with your doctor. Consider asking the following questions of your doctor:
What is my risk of developing these types of tumors?
What can I do to reduce my risk of this?
What are my options for screening?
If you are concerned about your family history and think you or your other family members may have NF2, consider asking the following questions:
Does my family history increase my risk of developing cancer?
Does it suggest the need for a cancer risk assessment?
Will you refer me to a genetic counselor or other genetics specialist?
Should I consider genetic testing?
Children’s Tumor Foundation
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Acoustic Neuroma Association
National Cancer Institute
To find a genetic counselor in your area, ask your doctor or visit these websites:
National Society of Genetic Counselors
National Cancer Institute: Cancer Genetics Services Directory | <urn:uuid:b34b9025-ff98-4ab5-8926-7b7423641f48> | {
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China and Australia top a global list of planned oil, gas and coal projects that will act as “carbon bombs” and push the planet towards catastrophic climate change, a Greenpeace report warned on Tuesday.
The Point of No Return study, by consultancy firm Ecofys for Greenpeace, calculated that the 14 giant fossil fuel projects would produce 6.3 gigatonnes of CO2 a year in 2020 – as much as the entire United States emits annually.
The largest contributors will be China’s five north-western provinces, which aim to increase coal production by 620m tonnes by 2015, generating an additional 1.4bn tonnes of greenhouse gases a year.
Australia’s burgeoning coal export industry, already the largest in the world, is in second place due to its potential growth to 408m tonnes of shipped resource a year by 2025, resulting in an annual 760m tonnes of CO2.
Meanwhile, controversial exploitation of oil and gas reserves in the Arctic could release 520m tonnes of CO2 a year, with further major emissions set to flow from other new fossil fuel frontiers, such as tar sands oil in Canada and shale gas in the US.
The Greenpeace report states that these 14 “carbon bomb” projects will increase global emissions by 20% and eat up nearly one-third of the carbon budget that the International Energy Agency says can’t be breached if warming is to be kept below 2C, considered the threshold for dangerous climate change.
The analysis suggests that there is a 75% chance of keeping emissions below the 2C target if all 14 projects – which are at varying stages of planning and approval – are cancelled, with emissions peaking in 2015 before falling by 5% annually.
“If these projects aren’t wound back, we’re looking at an extra 300bn tonnes of CO2 by 2050, which will make it very difficult to meet the 2C target,” said Georgina Woods, lead campaigner for Greenpeace Australia.
“The fossil fuel industry is diversifying and finding new ways to extract resources, often in toxic and dangerous ways.”
“This is a last-ditch push by these companies to entrench themselves in a changing energy market. Countries which have agreed [at UN climate talks] that the 2C tipping point can’t be passed should not allow these projects to go ahead.”
The report comes at a time when China and Australia, the countries set to oversee the two largest CO2 escalations, have been forced to contemplate the potential downsides of major fossil fuel exploitation. Beijing has experienced unprecedented air pollution blamed on industrial output and Australia is suffering a record-breaking heatwave which has been linked to climate change.
Last year, projects such as those on Greenpeace’s list were labelled “sub-prime” assets posing a systemic risk to economic stability by a group of high-profile investors, politicians and scientists.
The group warned Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King that efforts to keep the world below 2C of warming will demolish the value of carbon-heavy assets listed in the City of London, creating a “carbon bubble” that will impact institutional investors and pension funds.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | <urn:uuid:faaeb04b-03c7-41f8-951c-60c08f811a4d> | {
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Convex lens: principal axis
The principal axis of a convex lense is the "main" axis.
It is an imaginary line that is perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to the verticle axis and passes through the centre of curvatures (centre points of the spheres).
The principal opera singer is the main opera singer.
The word principal is used because it is the most important of all the possible axes. Compare this to the principal singer of an opera, who is the most important singer.
Here we have the principal axis in red. | <urn:uuid:db22528b-6d3d-49c9-bc44-f518b2e6ac8d> | {
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Sometimes the black letter law passed by the legislature is unclear. The legislature can’t anticipate every possible fact scenario when they pass a law, so it lay to the courts to interpret the law and give guidance to what it means. This interpretation is called case law. When the court decides a certain meeting to the law it essentially answers a legal question. Lawyers and other courts then can rely on that ruling when they have a similar issue in their case. The following case answers the question above.
California v. Greenwood, 486 U.S. 35 (1988).
This case answers a couple of questions:
- Is it unconstitutional for the police to search through a suspect’s trash if left by the curb?
- Does the Court have to suppress evidence that is illegally seized by law enforcement?
The Fourth Amendment does not prohibit warrantless search and seizure of garbage bags left on the side of a public street. The California Constitutional amendment that eliminates the exclusionary rule for evidence seized in violation of state law is not a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The first issue in this case is whether the Fourth Amendment protects against the warrantless search and seizure of garbage bags placed on the side of a public street. The Court ruled that the search and seizure of garbage bags left at the curb outside of the residence would only violate the Fourth Amendment if the respondents manifested a subjective expectation of privacy in their garbage that society accepts as objectively reasonable. Id. at 39. The Court stated that by placing their trash on or, near the street, they had exposed their garbage to the public sufficiently to defeat their claim to Fourth Amendment protection because it is common knowledge that they are readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public. Id. at 40. The Court noted that the police cannot reasonably be expected to avert their eyes from evidence of criminal activity that could have been observed by any member of the public. Id. at 41. In addition, the Court concluded that due to the public availability of trash being left for pick up on the side of the road, that society as a whole possess no such understanding that garbage left for collection maintains that protection. Id. at 43.
Further, the Court ruled that a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy of information if he voluntarily turns over that information to third parties. Id. at 41. In this case, the respondents intended to convey their trash to the trash collector, the third party, who could have sorted through the garbage bag himself or permitted others, including police officers, to do so. The Court concluded that since the respondents placed their garbage in an area that was open for public inspection and for the express purpose of having strangers take the property, they could have no reasonable expectation of privacy and, therefore, the search and seizure of the garbage bags was not a violation of the respondents Fourth Amendment rights.
The second issue in this case is whether California’s Constitutional amendment that allows for the use of evidence illegally obtained under state law but not federal law is a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court ruled that California could amend its Constitution to negate the holding of a previous California Supreme Court ruling that state law forbids warrantless searches of trash or they could remove the subsequent state constitutional amendment that created the exclusionary rule as a remedy for violations of that right. Id. at 44. The Court states that even at the federal level, it is not required that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment be suppressed in all circumstances. Id. On the federal level, the court has declined to apply the exclusionary rule indiscriminately when law enforcement officers “have acted in objective good faith of their transgressions have been minor because the magnitude of the benefit conferred on guilty defendants in such circumstances offends basic concepts of the criminal justice system.” Id. at 45. The Court, therefore, dismissed this argument and concluded that the states are not in violation of the Due Process Clause by using a similar balancing approach when deciding when to apply their own exclusionary rules. | <urn:uuid:78d43ba8-76e5-4cd5-8a10-c8c3738aaff9> | {
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Maiden and the Moon. As darkness falls on July 11, watch the quarter moon glide into the zodiacal constellation of Virgo, the maiden, and pair up with its brightest star, Spica.
The brilliant star will appear to be only five degrees south of the moon, about equal to the width of your middle three fingers held at arm’s length. Even from brightly lit suburbs, these two objects will make for an eye-catching sight.
Meteor Kickoff. July 12 marks the official beginning of the Southern Aquarid meteor shower. While the shower won’t be peaking until July 26 to 31, some shooting stars will start to be visible this week in the hours before dawn. And with the moon out of the way in the early mornings this week, the skies should be optimal for catching the shower as it begins to ramp up. The best suggested time to look up is between 2 and 4 a.m. local time.
Individual meteors from this shower can be traced back to their radiant, which is the namesake constellation Aquarius, the water bearer. You can find Aquarius riding high in the southeast skies after local midnight this week.
Moon and Mars. Early evening on July 14 will find the moon joining Mars and nearby Saturn in the southern sky. On this night, the moon will be hovering closest to the red planet, just to its upper left. Saturn will appear to the pair’s far left. Look carefully and you may notice that the moon, Mars, and Saturn form a rectangle formation with the bright orange star Antares, which will be just below the ringed planet.
With the moon’s average distance, its light only takes 1.2 seconds to reach our eyes on Earth. By contrast, light from Saturn takes 77 minutes to reach us, and the light from Antares takes a whopping 619 years to reach Earth, meaning we are seeing this star as it appeared in the year 1397!
Moon and Saturn. By July 15, Saturn will get its chance to hang out with the waxing gibbous moon. This should be a stunning sight even with unaided eyes, as the cosmic duo will appear only three degrees apart, about equal to the width of your two middle fingers held at arm’s length. | <urn:uuid:effad90b-0c40-4298-ad26-e72f913bcc93> | {
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Jahangir: Rebellion of Khusru
Rebellion of Khusru
Khusrau Mirza was Jahangir’s eldest son and was a favorite of his grandfather Akbar. He was offspring of Jahangir and his Kachhawa princess. In 1606, this energetic, popular and sober young man Khusru left Agra for Sikandara with 350 men at horse and instead of paying tributes to his grandfather; he went to Mathura where one Hussain Beg joined him with some 3000 horses. From there the combined force proceeded towards Lahore, at Panipat Abdur Rahim joined him, who was Subedar of Lahore.
On midway, at Taran Taran he sought blessings of the 5th Sikh Guru Arjun Dev and laid the siege of Lahore. But the impeccant prince got defeated by the Mughal army and was captured, imprisoned at Agra and blinded later by one of his half brothers Khurram (Shah Jahan), who later dispatched him, to the “other world”. The hostility towards Sikhs never disappeared for rest of the Mughal Empire. | <urn:uuid:866cb759-81f2-4743-b875-8b5ee451af21> | {
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Few things have caused a greater schism in American society than the Vietnam War.
The 1960’s encompassed a time of political, racial, social, and cultural unrest as the U.S. became polarized between those who advocated continued involvement in Vietnam and those who wanted peace. Central to the conflict was the fact that many did not understand the origins of the Vietnam War or the reasons behind the U.S. decision to intervene. To a majority of Americans, the war seemed futile and pointless, and it left the nation questioning the policies of a government it had always trusted.
The movement against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began with demonstrations in 1964 and grew in strength over the next few years, peaking in 1968. Many in the peace movement were students, mothers, or anti-establishment hippies, but there was also involvement from educators, labor unions, clergy, journalists, lawyers, military veterans, and ordinary Americans. Expressions of opposition ranged from peaceful nonviolent demonstrations to radical displays of violence.
In terms of peaceful nonviolent demonstrations, a large number took place independently on college campuses, while national demonstrations took the form of Marches on Washington, which drew hundreds of thousands of people and continued up until the war’s end in 1975.
Out of these demonstrations arose countless posters and political signs harboring anti-war messages and slogans. Some are direct and simple, a call for something; others, with sharp and severe messages, prompt a double-take; some are sad, while others mock through ironic jokes and a biting sort of sarcasm; still others are vulgar and obscene, placing blame as they look for a scapegoat and search for someone to blame.
Here are some particularly poignant rally signs and posters from various anti-war demonstrations:
Watch this video for a deeper look at Vietnam War protests. | <urn:uuid:e2f9314f-47ee-4036-8473-ad0c79a1ff3d> | {
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The motivation for many big data projects is the use of analytic algorithms such as machine learning to make quickly impose some action based on similarities of current events with earlier events that produced either favorable or undesired outcomes. These algorithms compare data about present events with data about historic events to produce recommendations that acted quickly enough will produce beneficial outcomes. We anticipate that eventually we will have sufficient data to produce high confidence that this project will succeed all the time. The payoff occurs when we automate the decision making based on the analytic results from big data.
There is nothing new about the idea that to be able to respond to new events, we rely on prepared actions for conditions that appear similar to previous events. We have always employed methods of inquiry into disasters or missed opportunities in order to learn lessons. These lessons often become expressed as recommendations for better training and protocols for action so that we can respond to similar circumstances quickly enough to avoid past mistakes.
Historically, these were rules that required intensive human thinking and debate about the circumstances and about the recommended protocols to use when similar circumstances arise. The debate often includes skepticism to point out possible flaws in the reasoning. Such criticism may point out that other circumstances may look the same but not have the same consequences if left to proceed without interference. Or they may argue that the proposed protocols will cause other problems even when it solves the intended problem.
The counter arguments was a key part of the process to decide on what is the right protocols to demand on future practitioners. The counter arguments often use counter-factual or hypothetical information: information that is not in the historical record. We accept this non-historic data a part of the debate because we recognize that the historical record is an incomplete record of only one possibility that actually happened from a much larger set of possibilities that could have occurred.
A recent news story concerned some person who died due to a wasp sting. The fact is that the sting occurred and ultimately resulted in death. The implication is that a wasp sting can be deadly. However, death resulted due to sting happening to one particular person, someone who had a previously unknown allergic over-reaction to a sting of this particular type of wasp. The same wasp sting on anyone else would not have caused death even though it may have caused varying degrees of discomfort. We conclude that although we need to be aware of the risk of death from a wasp sting we don’t need to to change our approach to dealing with wasps or their stings.
It is easy to dismiss this example because it is a one time tragic outcome of a relatively common experience. We would not change protocols for responding to wasps or to their stings based on this one case. We understand that stings can be surprisingly deadly, but we also recognize that most of the time they are not.
In many other areas we do radically change protocols based on one time events. Once there was a person who attempted to smuggle explosives on a plane by hiding it in the soles of the shoes. Once we discovered that, we now require scanning everyone’s shoes. Certainly a shoe bomb is something that can be repeated and is worth preventing. But it is also an example of a single occurrence resulting in a drastic change in protocols despite the huge variety of shoes and their capacity to hide explosives.
The decision to impose a shoe inspection protocol involved the old process of human debate and decision making to balance the relative benefit of the inspection with the inconvenience of the traveler or the slowing down of the inspection stations. The decision included at least some assessment that there is little downside to require people to walk a few steps without their shoes.
In many areas of protective services either the public or for material assets, we readily revise protocols based on single occurrences. We ban and force a recall of a toy when one or a tiny fraction of children choke on some part that can disconnect from the toy. We impose new restrictions on access to certain parts of facilities that were previously open when there was one case of someone doing something that could or did cause damage.
Predictive analytic algorithms for quick or automated decision-making follows the same concept of identifying prescriptive actions that can improve the outcomes. When used with big data we have additional confidence that there are more data observations. Sometimes the data includes both observations of what happens with and without a certain condition. In these cases we can show the condition results positive when present and negative consequences when absent. The volume of data and the breadth of possibilities gives us more confidence to immediately impose decisions based on the data alone.
This kind of decision making implicitly excludes the counter-factual arguments. Sometimes we explicitly describe this type of decision making as evidence-based decision making. We will only consider actual evidence when making a decision. This explicitly rejects the validity or appropriateness of counter-factual arguments. It also reinforces the big data project because big data is data about what actually happened. Even the data I criticized in earlier posts where the data is derived from preconceived theories rather that direct observation is still evidence because those theories are widely accepted as true.
Human history has a long tradition of respecting the counter arguments that looks at what might have happened but did not happen. Often our decisions consider credible non-evidence in addition to the actual evidence. For example, in judicial proceedings we demand abundant evidence to overcome doubt. Doubt is about non-evidence of considering credible alternative possibilities that failed to be recorded as evidence. For judicial proceedings, convictions are not evidence-based in the same sense as meant in evidence based decision making. Instead, the evidence must overcome our doubts and those doubts are based on non-evidence.
The danger of big data analytic approaches is that it makes decisions based only on evidence. The algorithms can only consider what actually occurred. They can not imagine alternative realities where circumstances might have been different. They can not replicate human doubt.
In recent posts, I expressed my concern about the need for accountable decision makers. These are people we designate to make decisions that they can explain to us, defend against criticism, or modify to accommodate unanticipated needs. To be accountable for a decision, the decision-maker must consider multiple options. That consideration includes raising and addressing doubts, counterfactuals, or non-evidence. A powerful tool for decision making is simulation of what-if scenarios, things that did not happen but we can imagine could possibly have happened. The simulation can reinforce a decision (run actual data against a new protocol to show what the outcomes would be) or it can present doubt by showing other possibilities that might have happened.
Evidence-based decision making is decision making that considers only what happened in the past. In contrast we hold human decision makers to be accountable for the consequences of their decisions in those events that occurred after the decision is made.
I have been thinking a lot about recent civil unrest in Ferguson Missouri, in the context of accountable decision making. I do not know enough to come to any conclusion about the precise details. However, I have been thinking about the some broader issues that appear to be consequences of decisions made long before the recent events.
For example, police are trained to respond in intense situations requiring immediate decision making. To assure rapid decision making, they follow their training of following specific protocols of what to do when something specific happens. Police officers do not have the luxury of lengthy deliberation. They need to act decisively that addresses the situation in a previously acceptable way. The trained protocols often are justified by prior events. In the past, there may be some unambiguous event that turned out bad because police failed to respond aggressively enough. The subsequent investigation following the historical event was to recommend improved training and response protocols to prevent this from recurring in the future.
Based on the information I have seen, I can see imagine prior scenarios that would justify the aggressive responses in the initial incident and the subsequent response to crowd control and rioting. The long past scenarios provide evidence that situations may be far more dangerous than they appear. At some point for whatever reason we convinced ourselves it was better to be better prepared for the worst. According to those decisions, the situation called for following particular protocols that were trained for quick and decisive actions. Prior to the initial event in Ferguson, if the community reviewed the procedures and the evidence behind those procedures, I would imagine that the community would agree about the appropriateness of the procedures and expect them to be carried out when the circumstances warrant them.
This evidence-based approach of preparing protocols for police response is analogous to the big data analytic-based decision making. Based on actual evidence recorded in history, these recommendations make sense and should be acted upon when the circumstances recur.
The problem with the Ferguson episode was what happened after applying this previously approved protocol to a specific present-tense event. Part of what is so confusing about the episode is that both sides appear to be right. The response to the circumstances was at the same time appropriate and inappropriate.
The example of Ferguson illustrates our need for human accountability. Even though we might have earlier agreed with the following of these protocols in hypothetical scenarios that appeared similar to what actually happened, we demand to be convinced those protocols were appropriate in this precise case. We demand human accountability even as we recognize that everyone was doing what we earlier agreed they should be trained to do. Someone has to explain this to us, or be in a position to modify the practices so this doesn’t happen again.
This demand for accountability appears to be happening. The problem escalated in part because there was no one available to be accountable. There was no one to explain the actions and to defend their appropriateness for the current circumstances.
I don’t see how that kind of accountability is possible with big data analytic decision making. Evidence based decision making asserts that the evidence is both necessary and sufficient for a decision. We must accept the consequences of decisions that are purely based on evidence because evidence based decisions are the only valid decisions. Accepting evidence-based decision making (that ultimately can be automated) means accepting we have no grounds to demand accountability when we don’t like how what happens after the decision is acted upon.
We demand accountability for recent events. We need to know that the decisions were appropriate for this particular circumstance even though it is obvious this particular circumstance could not have been part of the evidence considered when the decision to establish specific protocols were made or approved.
We demand that decisions be justified for future evidence as well as past evidence. In order to be effectively accountable, the decision makers must consider non-evidence (doubts, hypotheticals, what-if simulations) in their decision making. I think part of the problem of the escalation of break down in public trust was the unpreparedness for accountability. The response seemed to take the form of everyone followed previously agreed upon protocols. The subsequent escalation of events indicate that this appeal to past evidence to justify protocols followed was not sufficient accountability for this particular case.
Now it appears that leaders at all levels of government are reviewing a wide range of issues about what kind of response is appropriate and what kind of resources should be available to different levels of law enforcement, crowd control, and riot response. This reaction is a recognition that the decisions we previously accepted were wrong.
Consider the role of the decision makers who came up with the protocols that they trained police officers to follow. These decision makers need to be accountable. They should have stepped forward immediately to defend the protocols that were followed, especially in the later cases of the response to crowd control and rioting. They needed to speak persuasively to convince everyone that the protocols are justified based on the similarities of the current circumstances with historic circumstances that suggest things could get much worse. They were not only unable to present a persuasive case, they seemed to be silent entirely when their voices were most needed. Lacking a clear explanation for justifying the actions, people came up with their own contradictory and sometimes cynical conclusions.
The events spiraled out of control in part because there was no human accountability. Everyone from top to bottom were following rules that they could not explain, defend, or change. Those decision makers who are paying attention should recognize their ineffectiveness in accountability. As long as they will be exposed to accountability, they should demand to be convinced the evidence supporting a particular protocols will overcome doubts and counter-arguments. They will weigh evidence against these doubts. Their decision making will not be purely evidence-based.
Evidence based decision making does allow for evolving protocols as new evidence becomes available. A present incident obviously could not be evidence for the earlier decision for rapid-response protocols, but it will become evidence for changes to those protocols in the future. Accepting a purely evidence-based decision methodology means unquestionably accepting all of the immediate consequences of those decisions. Socially, we need to think differently. We need to look at current responses as being inevitably the consequence of historic evidence. We should not rebel at the application of such evidence-based decisions in current events. Instead, we need to find consolation that the current events becomes evidence that may modify future decisions in a beneficial direction.
I don’t see this happening. The nature of human society is to demand human accountability to justify the consequences of decisions based on the the immediate circumstances. We need to be persuaded that the decisions were appropriate for this specific case or that someone will accountable for why it was inappropriate. That demand for accountability includes the expectation that the decision maker considered the doubts in addition to the evidence.
The demand for human accountability for current consequences is incompatible with the ideals of evidence-based decision making. This is especially true of big data analytic algorithm based decision making based purely on observed historical data. I don’t see us ever dismissing bad outcomes as an inevitable consequence of spurious similarities of the current events with some historic event. The hope that perhaps future decisions built on this new evidence will turn out more beneficial will not soothe our complaints about the immediate consequences.
Unfortunately, that attitude of dismissal and hope is necessary to accept automated evidence-based decision making based on big data predictive analytic algorithms. Adopting a purely evidence-based decision making approach risks large scale social disintegration because no one can be accountable for the specific consequences of the decision based only on evidence from history. | <urn:uuid:d8451d5d-8451-4519-b4d0-9ad5d269b406> | {
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We all know to check the nutrition facts label on the foods we eat. And many of us do. But are we really reading and understanding them? That's what one research study sought to find out.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota asked 203 people to look at 64 food products on a computer monitor that was outfitted with an eye-tracking device. The scientists moved the nutrition facts label on different foods left, right and center. They also showed foods with photos, a list of ingredients, and a description of the food.
What researchers found was that nutrition facts labels shown in the center were looked at 30 percent longer than labels that were on the left or right. Additionally, most participants in the study looked at facts at the top of the nutrition facts label longer than those on the bottom.
What's really interesting though, is that what most subjects said they did was actually different than what their eyeballs did. While about a third of subjects self-reported that they almost always check calorie content, the eye-tracker found that only nine percent of participants actually looked at calorie count, according to The Atlantic.
The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, goes to show that location matters when it comes to nutrition facts labels. Therefore, researchers recommend that food packages present nutrition information centrally.
The research is also a good reminder to make sure that you're really looking at those nutrition facts labels closely — no matter where they're located on the package! Do you read food labels? How closely?
Jennipher Walters is the CEO and co-founder of the healthy living websites FitBottomedGirls.com and FitBottomedMamas.com. A certified personal trainer, lifestyle and weight management coach and group exercise instructor, she also holds an MA in health journalism and regularly writes about all things fitness and wellness for various online publications. | <urn:uuid:9fb978f2-7cea-4d44-886f-6295f4d3645e> | {
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On Thursday last week, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) posted a thought provoking article in regard to Confederate symbols or other public-facing displays. Rather lengthy article, but is worth a sit-down read. In the article the SPLC offers:
Following the Charleston massacre, the Southern Poverty Law Center launched an effort to catalog and map Confederate place names and other symbols in public spaces, both in the South and across the nation. This study, while far from comprehensive, identified a total of 1,503.*
718 monuments and statues, nearly 300 of which are in Georgia, Virginia or North Carolina;
109 public schools named for Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis or other Confederate icons;
80 counties and cities named for Confederates;
9 official Confederate holidays in six states; and
10 U.S. military bases named for Confederates.
An administrative note here. I’ve included the asterisk after the total number offered here in the quotation. It is not clear why the asterisk is there as it does not seem to correspond to a notation within the article… at least not one denominated in the traditional sense. Though I think what the asterisk is trying to indicate is the process by which those numbers were derived. An explanation of the sources, if you will.
That explanation appears towards the end of the article:
In researching publicly supported spaces dedicated to the Confederacy or its heroes, SPLC researchers relied on federal, state and private sources. Each entry was verified by at least one other source. When possible, preference was given to governmental sources over private, less-reliable ones.
For federal databases, researchers used the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the National Park Service, and the National Register of Historic Places. Researchers created a list of prominent Confederate heroes and identified municipalities, counties, schools, buildings, monuments, military bases, parks and other spaces named for them.
Further down, the SPLC mentioned some of the other sources consulted. One of which, I am very familiar with:
The Historical Marker Database is another database with entries that are submitted by the general public and confirmed by an editor.
Most readers know I have entered more than 4,000 entries to that database. I’ve lost count of the number which I edited or contributed to in some way, shape, or form. I offer that not to brag so such, but to establish some bona fides here. I’m no longer an active editor, but I know quite a bit about how that source was built and the editing practices.
Knowing what I know, I have to pause and question the data, and therefore the numbers, presented by SPLC. Even a cursory glance demonstrates a lot of “data leaks” or overlooked, but expected, entries. SPLC did not share their “rule set” or go into specifics about criteria for inclusion. So readers are left to ponder what exactly they arbitrated as a “Confederate” public display. What are those rules?
Consider, SPLC deemed the “Old Men and Boys” and the “Hagood Brigade” Monuments at Petersburg to be examples of such Confederate iconography. These are very much what I consider monuments, as opposed to memorials. Monuments, under my definition, have some specific tie in to the location they occupy. In the case of those two examples, both were placed on sites where the units mentioned fought. Both monuments were placed during that big spike (around the start of the 20th century) by southern veterans advocacy groups (one by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the other by a surviving member of the unit). So this implies one rule used is – A monument, on the battlefield, placed by a southern veterans advocacy group during the time of Jim Crow.
We also see a monument for Wilcox’s Brigade outside Mechanicsburg. The main difference here is the memorial, by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, was placed in 1999. Likewise, we see from the Fredericksburg battlefield, the Sons of Confederate Veterans placed “The Heights at Smith Run” in 2014. So an addendum to the rule – A monument placed, even after Jim Crow, on the battlefield by a southern veterans advocacy group.
So given the rule, and it’s amendment, shouldn’t we also see an entry SLPC’s data set for the 11th Mississippi monument at Antietam? It is a recent addition, famously dodging the park boundaries, and placed by a veterans’ advocacy group. There is another 11th Mississippi monument, further north at a placed called Gettysburg, which was also placed in recent memory. That last one is across the street from the North Carolina Memorial (notice the change of my denomination here.. memorial as not tied to historical details and specifics, but more so as a memorialization of event, person, group, or such…). And of course just down the street…. Confederate Avenue, for those who might be evaluating street names for the data set…. we have the Virginia Memorial.
Is there anything that calls forward notions of the Lost Cause more than a statue of Robert E. Lee at the spot where those battle flags were unfurled prior to that most famous charge? Seriously, this is the very essence of the Lost Cause depicted in stone and bronze! I cannot think of anything in the known universe that would better fit in SPLC’s listing. So why is this memorial not on the map?
And while we are working along that row, what about this memorial at Shiloh?
A Western version of that Virginia Memorial. The United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated this memorial at Shiloh in 1917. Again, we have to ask why this display failed to make the list.
Likewise, we “walk” to another part of the battlefield and see a memorial placed by Arkansans to memorialize their regiments that fought at Shiloh. In terms of context, there is little difference from the Arkansas Memorial at Shiloh and the Wilcox Brigade or Hagood Brigade memorials mentioned above. So shouldn’t it be on the list?
Stepping back from statues, let’s consider plaques… more what I’d argue are properly “markers” in function. Circle back and consider that “The Heights at Smith Run” entry mentioned above. The content is mostly factual. The only real memorialization here is the dedication line. Even more detached from any memorialization of the Lost Cause is the SPLC’s listing of General Johnston’s Headquarters in Dalton, Georgia. That plaque is nothing but “here’s what happened here… just the facts, ma’am.” So we have another implied SPLC rule in place here – A plaque which relates historical facts related to the Confederacy.
OK, another round of considerations. There is a tablet standing next to that Arkansas Memorial at Shiloh, that lists Confederate units and details what those units did at a particular phase of the battle. So if the “Smith Run” and “Johnston’s Headquarters” deserve a pinpoint on the map, shouldn’t that tablet also get a plot? Oh, and before you answer, consider the US Government, specifically the War Department, placed that tablet around about the same time frame as we see that big “spike” on SPLC’s time line.
And at the same time, how do we reconcile a pinpoint for the regimental tablet at Shiloh, or the 11th Mississippi Monuments, with the presence, in some cases just steps away, of dozens of memorials to Federal regiments and units? Indeed, if the Confederate displays are all the physical manifestations of “Jim Crow,” then are all the Federal memorials, monuments, and markers automatically “Civil Rights” memorials? Careful, that’s a slippery slope we are on. Watch your step or else graffiti becomes a hate crime…..
Another round of questions as to SPLC’s evaluation of listings comes up when considering the Hayward Shepherd memorial at Harpers Ferry. There is “complex history” and then there is “really complex history.” This is the latter. One might fill several pages looking at the angles there… in fact, I think Robert Moore has done just that at some time in the past. What rules were applied that warranted that memorial’s inclusion, might we ask?
Now am I saying that SPLC’s listing should have thousands more pinpoints? Not exactly. What I am saying is that SPLC’s work is sloppy and they should clean it up. The current data set appears more of a “throw something on the map and see what sticks” approach. The map given given by SPLC calls to mind the “Chilling Civil War” map offered last summer by Slate. More to the point, I am saying that SPLC should have contacted someone who has decades of work spent in the field analyzing these sort of public displays at the ground level. Someone who could have helped them build a clear set of rules to use when categorizing these public displays. Clearly, given the information we have, that was not done.
As it currently stands, the SPLC listings are simply unable to support the premise offered in the article. It is not “firm” or “solid” data. Is that to say their conclusions are wrong? No. But I am saying that we cannot, with a straight face, accept the data as an argument to support the premise that is drawn. It is a structure placed on a wet sand foundation. | <urn:uuid:efb33e2e-8713-4789-bdb3-b458c796d0ff> | {
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Kids are growing up in a society filled with ubiquitous mobile devices and access to the world’s knowledge literally at their finger tips. We are seeing students who are mobile and connected.
Tech-savvy kids become tech-savvy college-bound teens who will bring with them a new paradigm of gesture bias and interaction preferences with technologies, media and privacy. This cohort will break down the traditional ideas of branding, marketing and personal privacy and continue in their dependence on online information and social media.
To learn why the next generation of tech savvy kids will change how we design and deliver content and digital experiences.
Content creators, artists, web designers, web developers, makers and anyone who designs, builds digital or traditional content.
Five things audience members will learn
- How this bias for gesture/touch over mouse/keyboard will influence the adoption of technology.
- How the consumption of content will change.
- How we will adapt and change to meet the new expectations of the digital kids.
- How the changing notion of privacy will change business and digital content.
- How digital content is and will become a ubiquitous medium. | <urn:uuid:084047f1-38d0-465c-bec1-9b69172f94a0> | {
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It’s the Mars Landing 2012 infographic. On Mars, the rover Curiosity — aka the Mars Science Laboratory — has one serious, overarching goal: Find out if the Mars has ever been habitable for life. As we understand life, that is. To that end, it’s looking for historical signs of water, carbon and other elements essential to life — as well as checking the level of radiation on the ground surface.
This Mars Landing 2012 infographic from Space.Com shows you how Curiosity works.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration
Curiosity is equipped with wide angle cameras. It also carries a drill. And it’s equipped with an infrared laser for analyzing the elements found in rocks. It even will vaporize Martian rock pieces to analyze its liquid plasma. Nuclear batteries power the whole thing.
Thanks to Space.com for this Mars Landing 2012 Infographic.
With less than three days to go before touchdown on the Red Planet, Curiosity remains in good health, with all systems operating as expected. Given the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft’s consistent and stable course, today the project decided that the planned Trajectory Correction Maneuver 5 (TCM-5) and its corresponding update to parameters for the autonomous software controlling events during entry, descent and landing will not be necessary. As of 12:35 p.m. today PDT (3:35 p.m. EDT), the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft was approximately 468,000 miles (753,200 kilometers) from Mars, or a little less than twice the distance from Earth to the moon. It is traveling at about 8,000 mph (3,576 meters per second). It will gradually increase in speed to about 13,200 mph (5,900 meters per second) by the time it reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere. | <urn:uuid:f7f2327a-4c56-4f2c-bcea-1ae6519aa76f> | {
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By Greg Kennedy
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion held by the Department of Political Science here at the University of Moncton. The topic was “Current Foreign Policy and Defence Challenges in Canada” and the roundtable included Jocelyn Coulon, an expert on Canada’s involvement with United Nations peacekeeping operations as well as Jean-François Caron, a political science professor studying Canada’s recent emphasis on bilateral relations with the United States.
Needless to say, I learned a lot. In particular, I was struck by the importance of the symbolism of the Canadian peacekeeper in public opinion and the ways in which, since the end of the Cold War, military operations have evolved to include more complex counterinsurgency, reconstruction and other kinds of “nation-building”. My role in this was to bring a historical view to these issues. Given the current international crises in Syria and Ukraine, and this month’s end to Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, it seems an opportune moment to reflect on our country’s role in international affairs as well as how best to orient our military forces moving forward.
Most readers of this blog will be well aware that the interpretation of Canada’s military history is disputed ground these days. I have written previously about myth-making surrounding the commemoration of the War of 1812, and I am certainly not alone in questioning the current government’s attempts to create an “epic” view of our past.
Canada undoubtedly has a military past. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a society more militarized than that of New France. From military governors and royal troops to the mass involvement of the colonists in militias, life in the colony had a solidly military character.
The British Conquest did little to change this. For decades, the government remained essentially composed of military officers concerned with military matters (as it did in Nova Scotia after the conquest of that colony in 1713). The American Revolutionary War not only reinforced the importance of imperial defence strategies and colonial militias, but it brought tens of thousands of Loyalist refugees, many of whom were veteran soldiers.
Indeed, several current militia regiments trace their origins back to Loyalist units. The War of 1812, the conquest of the West, the creation of a national militia at the end of the nineteenth century – these events continued to emphasize the mobilization of large segments of the population to fight in or support national wars, but only when needed.
In the twentieth century, Canada began sending large expeditionary forces overseas in support of Great Britain. Canada’s military build-up during the world wars was so impressive, particularly in relation to its small population and industrial base, that the country gained international prominence and respect. Several generations of Canadians experienced war directly. Then, the Cold War and the continual threat of nuclear apocalypse pushed Canada to maintain continental defence with the United States, and international defence through NATO, while greatly influencing political policy and civilian life. At the same time, Canada was an important part of a new internationalism expressed through the United Nations, employing small groups of professional soldiers in a variety of peacekeeping roles.
This quick survey of Canada’s military history highlights two overarching themes:
- Canadians do not generally want large standing military forces.
- All of these conflicts were, or were interpreted to be, defensive actions against foreign enemies, rebels, or ideologies.
The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century constitutes a period of incongruity with this military tradition. There is no clear enemy and victory is not obvious in Somalia, Rwanda, and Afghanistan as it was in 1815, 1885, 1918, or 1945. Further, when we send troops to these places, we are not directly protecting Canada or its allies. As a result, Canadians today do not have direct experience of war, and the conflicts that they do know have left an impression of futility.
Further, it has become apparent that our longstanding tradition of general mobilization at need cannot meet the demands of modern warfare. War is no longer about how many battalions of infantry you can field. It has become the arena of specialists operating modern tanks, jet fighters, warships, missiles and communication systems. If Canada were to commit to mobilizing a larger force, how would we procure all of this specialized equipment, and how long would it take to train a new generation of soldiers, sailors, aircrew, logisticians, engineers, doctors, etc.? How would we pay for it?
The alternative seems to be to develop a robust standing military force that has the training, experience and equipment needed to operate in complex modern conflicts. Yet, many of our key military platforms have become or are becoming obsolete and so the Canadian military faces huge capability gaps. From naval supply ships (one was recently towed back to Pearl Harbour) that will be decommissioned in 2016 but not replaced until 2020 to the F-35 fiasco, from too fragile submarines to too vulnerable jeeps, we are falling behind and we face serious questions about how we are going to even maintain existing, much less build new, military capabilities (such as in the Arctic) going forward.
There is no doubt that a certain romantic view of peacekeeping influences Canadian public opinion, but I think that there are larger forces at work here related to our long military tradition of militia and general mobilization. This is one of the underlying reasons why Canadians are not sure if they want to support the larger and more capable standing military forces required for modern military operations including war but also a host of operations other than war (OOTW).
Canadians are certainly proud of our military tradition, in particular, our contributions during the world wars and to peacekeeping. This is, of course, an idealized view of the past, but every nation indulges in this kind of epic mythologizing to some extent. Canada is certainly fortunate to not have an obvious enemy. We no longer have to send farmers to fight on colonial frontiers or teenagers to war on European battlefields. This is a good thing.
But conflict and militarism have not disappeared in our world. The question now is how to engage Canadian society in a meaningful discussion about contemporary foreign policy and defence challenges. How do we build consensus and act confidently when faced with the complexity of these challenges as well as the pessimism of a seemingly ascendant global realism among political actors? If general mobilization will no longer work, and small deployments of regular forces are not enough to maintain peace, how does Canada organize its military forces going forward? Reconstruction or nation-building can involve decades of work in a whole of government approach of which the military is only a small part. Could Canada specialize in some kinds of reconstruction or humanitarian assistance, developing its military capabilities and force structure accordingly? What kind of role do Canadians want to play in the world? Does this even interest us anymore?
We need to develop a new vision for Canada that makes reference to our long military tradition and our more recent myth-making about peacekeeping, while responding to modern risks and uncertainties. We need a vision that is at the same time realist and utopian, international and absolutely Canadian. Canada has defined itself in part by its military exploits throughout its history. How will Canada define itself in the 21st century?
Greg Kennedy is an assistant professor of history at the Université de Moncton. | <urn:uuid:e773c385-f0ae-4229-8bbc-0bd02e45d68d> | {
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In the Western Americana division of Rare Books and Special Collections is a small collection of paintings and drawings by 20th-century Native American artists, including Alfonso Roybal, also known as Awa Tsireh or Cattail Bird (1898-1955), Abel Sanchez, also known as Oqwa Pi or Red Cloud (1899-1971), and Otis Polelonema, also called Lomadamocvia (1902-1972).
Roybal or Awa Tsireh was born and died in the San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Fe County, New Mexico. His father, Alfoncita Martinez Roybal was a Pueblo ceramicist and both his brother, Ralph Roybal, and sister, Santana Roybal Martinez, were painters. Tsireh’s work was first recognized outside the Pueblo in 1920 when Alice Corbin Henderson sent a collection of his work to the Arts Club of Chicago. Several of the drawings at Princeton are identified as once belonging to Henderson. Tsireh worked full-time as a painter, printmaker, lithographer, silversmith, and watercolorist in a studio of his own inside the Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.
Sanchez or Red Cloud was a colleague of Roybal, also born at San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. But unlike Roybal, Sanchez pursued a career in politics, serving as Lieutenant governor and governor of the Pueblo, while painting as he found time.
Polelonema was born at Second Mesa, the Northern Arizona Hopi reservation, and studied at the Santa Fe Indian School. At the age of 20, he collaborated with Elizabeth DeHuff, wife of the school’s superintendent, on a children’s book entitled Taytay’s Tales (see images at http://digital.library.upenn.edu/
women/dehuff/taytay/taytay.html). Polelonema returned to his village, Shungopovi, where he farmed and painted, including a few years working under the mural division of the Federal Art Program.
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Most image formats use some type of compression to make the files smaller in size. Many scanners are set to save the scanned images using the TIFF format by default. Even though the TIFF format supports compression, TIFF files still tend to be quite large. However, most image editing programs will let you convert TIFF files to other smaller formats.
If you are going to be using your images mostly on the Web, you will want to use a format that is well supported by the most popular web browsers. Currently, the most well supported image formats on the web are GIF and JPEG. Both of these formats support compression to produce smaller files that can be quickly downloaded from the Web.
The GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) can support a maximum of 256 colors. As a general rule, GIFs are better suited for graphics with areas of solid or flat color such as illustrations and logos. Other advantages to the GIF format are that it lets you create transparencies, interlacing, and animations.
A transparent GIF allows one color to be set as transparent, usually a background color. All Web graphics are square or rectangular and transparencies are a way to create the illusion of irregularly shaped images. Interlaced images display a rough version of the entire image quickly and then gradually fill in the details. This affords the viewers a sense of the image before it fully downloads, which helps those with slow dial-up connections. Animated GIFs are files that contain multiple images set to display like a slide show. They work on all major browsers and require no plug-ins.
The JPEG format (Joint Photographic Experts Group) was especially designed for images of photographic quality. JPEG images can contain up to 16 million colors. As a result, JPEGs are ideal for photographs, drawings, and any image with complex or subtle color gradations. Unlike GIFs, the standard JPEG file is not interlaced, a problem addressed by the Progressive JPEG. JPEG also does not support animation.
The PNG (Portable Network Graphic) was created an as alternative to GIF. GIF is a proprietary format, while PNG is an open source format that does not require the manufacturers of imaging software to pay royalties when they use the PNG format. PNG supports improved compression, but unfortunately it is not as widely supported as GIF and JPEG. | <urn:uuid:adc12a42-abe6-4cad-b101-2f74e4a69ad3> | {
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What is the Demolition Cement?
CRAS is a grey, powdery DEMOLITION OR EXPLOSIVE CEMENT the basic component of which is inorganic lime.
CRAS, mixed with the right percentage of water (fresh water, that never exceeds 10 or 12 degrees in summer) provokes, by means of a high-power chemical reaction, an enormous expansive tension of over 7000 TM. Generally, 500 – 3000 TM are sufficient to demolish all kinds of rock and concrete. CRAS breaks up:
- With zero vibration
- No explosion
- No hammering noise or vibrations
- No fumes
- No sparks
- No problems of accessibility
- No contamination
- No damage to the ecology
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Sovereign Man Notes From The Field By Simon Black
November 16, 2015 Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile
France’s Answer To Terrorism: The Law Of Suspects
On April 5, 1793, decorated French military commander Charles Dumouriez caused a sensational panic in Paris when he fled the country and defected to Austria.
It had been nearly four years since French peasants stormed the Bastille, the event that historians generally regard as the start of the French Revolution.
And hardly a week had gone by since without some major crisis, emergency, or tragedy in France.
There were regular violent riots across the country-- in Paris, other major cities, and even the rural countryside. Widespread massacres were commonplace.
And given that one of the key goals of France’s new revolutionary government was to eliminate Christianity from the nation, civil war between religious factions broke out as well.
To cap things off, France was under constant threat of foreign invasion.
Austria and Prussia were not only waging conventional war against France, but both nations had sent highly trained agents to infiltrate French borders to pursue violence and chaos from within.
It was exhausting. French people were living in perpetual fear, and the wanton death of innocents had become an unfortunately normal part of life.
So when it was found that Dumouriez (a French citizen) had defected to the enemy, people hit their breaking points. Enough was enough. And they cried out to the government to save them.
The government listened.
The very next day, on April 6, 1793, the new French government established the Committee of Public Safety (though it was originally known as the Danton Committee).
The Committee was given broad, emergency powers since it was a time of such crisis.
And under the leadership Maximilien Robespierre, the French people got their protection.
Robespierre passed the ‘Law of Suspects’, allowing the government to essentially imprison anyone they wanted for any reason.
It was impossible to tell friend from foe back then; you never knew if someone was a loyalist, or a Christian, or an Austrian spy, or any number of counter-revolutionaries.
So people were required to carry special certificates indicating that they were good and dutiful citizens. Those without would be imprisoned, and potentially executed.
The University of Chicago estimates that nearly 30,000 either died in prison or were executed as a result of this law.
Then there was the Law of the Maximum, which attempted to stabilize an ongoing financial crisis by fixing the prices of goods and services in the country. The law also imposed the death penalty on those who did not follow the rules.
They also passed the Law of 22 Prairial, which awarded the Committee even more power to arrest, try, and execute anyone deemed to be suspicious or disloyal.
The law also prevented anyone accused of a crime from being able to call witnesses or have defense counsel.
Plus it required that ALL citizens report potentially suspicious or disloyal neighbors to the Committee. If you see something, say something.
As you are likely well aware, this period in French history became known as the Reign of Terror, or often simply ‘the Terror’.
Coincidentally, this is where the first modern use of the word ‘terrorist’ is found.
Except that it wasn’t used to describe the counter-revolutionaries. Or the rebels. Or the foreign agents.
It turns out that “terrorist” was originally a term used to describe the government officials who created and executed these oppressive tactics under the guise of keeping people safe from their enemies.
Governments have a dangerous tendency to never let a serious crisis go to waste.
The US government spent trillions of taxpayer dollars to fight a War on Terror that made the world less safe and Americans less free, all to protect them from a threat that has a statistical likelihood of 0.0%.
(You’re far more likely to be shot by a police officer than to ever even see a terrorist.)
Yes, the desire for revenge runs deep. And that’s understandable.
But the greatest thing to fear is not men in caves. It is the consequent loss of freedom and the never-ending cycle of costly, destructive war.
Simon Black Founder, SovereignMan.com | <urn:uuid:cabf0d46-db5e-4bd2-9f8a-61d4fb6549c1> | {
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Problems at the Sophomore level and first-semester
Junior year are more effective when the work is self-paced
without deadlines other than the semester's end. Particularly
with perceptual studies and formal values, if students advance
before they demonstrate understanding or have acquired the
necessary skills, it becomes a meaningless experience. Also,
self-pacing permits more experienced or talented students
to move forward without waiting for slower students to catch
up. It allows both quick and methodical students to work without
undue pressure. The problem for students with deadlines is
the deadline becomes the objective, rather than the understanding.
It is far better to wait until the second semester of the
Junior year and throughout the Senior year to enforce the
discipline of deadlines.
procedure borrowed from the Basel program was having students
keep progress books. Students were required to retain explorations
or references, sketches, refinements, roughs or notes and
bind them into a book at completion of the project. At the
introductory level, these books were very revealing to students
regarding improvement in handskills, growth in understanding
and their general advancement in the program. Learning became
tangible, and students reacted with a sense of accomplishment,
greater commitment and increased productivity. We had equal
success with progress books at advanced levels. Students could
review the design process from beginning to end. Also, the
books were an asset to the portfolio if an interviewer wanted
to know how a project evolved.
quickly learned that students were more successful reaching
objectives if the focus of problems was uncluttered. Teachers
often try to accomplish too much within a single problem.
Difficulties with materials and media can distract students
from educational objectives. For instance, Albers taught introductory
color classes with color packs because he wanted students
to concentrate on color, and not have to struggle with techniques
of mixing paint and applying it to paper at the same time.
Objectives are kept clear by establishing limitations. At
the early stages of design education, limitations by the teacher
are the most restrictive in terms of scope, tools and materials.
As students move ahead in the program, limitations become
increasingly flexible and there are less of them. Setting
objectives, combined with limitations, which are conducive
to student focus, usually results in substantial educational
vs. Perceptual Learning
In this country, there has always been controversy
regarding the value of theoretical studies in professional
education. Whenever working designers visited our program
to lecture or critique, they showed interest in student perceptual
work. Invariably, they would ask, as tactfully as possible,
why we did not consider adding type to the imagery, make a
package design out of it, or in some way convert it into a
many regional Graphic Design programs are overly influenced
by local professionals. Ties with the professional community
are important for the program and for students, but there
has to be selectivity in choosing professionals as educational
advisors, and balancing their input with educational integrity.
Designers might make a living as illustrators, art directors
or graphic designers, but it is insufficient grounds for assuming
they will be beneficial mentors for students, or that they
can effectively teach.
designer tends to define the profession by what he or she
does. Design practices vary from studio to studio or from
one segment of the profession to another. It is impossible
to teach professional practice by simply doing applied problems.
am not proposing an Ivory Tower educational program for Graphic
Designers. Students must have technical information and abilities,
knowledge of professional practices and contact with working
designers who are good role models. In school the goal is
learning; professionalism is achieved on the job. It is important
to aim the program at the highest levels of the profession
rather than directing it toward employment opportunities within
the immediate community.
school, professionalism can be reinforced in student attitudes,
punctuality, reliability, demeanor and work habits rather
than by problem content. Contrary to professional practice,
in school the process by which students move from beginning
to conclusion of a problem is equally as germane as the end
result; it is a learning situation. Devoting the last semester
of the Senior year to putting together and polishing student
portfolios is a waste of precious time. Teachers should advise
students on their portfolios, but there is no need to create
a class for this purpose.
Problem relevance affects student interest and productivity.
This mainly applies to Junior and Senior level problems. During
the years of student activism in the 1960s, we gave many projects
dealing with zero population, environmental issues, drug abuse,
social or political movements and contemporary music. By relating
problems to student interests, we went through the period
with few difficulties and were able to maintain a strong program
and reasonable discipline. If teachers are sensitive to student
interests and concerns, classroom productivity can be improved
by selection of relevant problem content.
teachers often reflect personal values and educational priorities.
Alvin Lustig taught that the solution to any design problem
lies in an analysis of the problem. He also identified Graphic
Design as visual communication. Therefore, there were criteria
based on analysis, interpretation and communication. Lester
Beall wrote a comprehensive statement which was handed out
to students as part of the problem presentation. In addition
to definitions and limitations, he included background information
which contained irrelevant facts to mislead students. He expected
students to sift the information, ignore the irrelevant, and
identify pertinent facts as the basis for the design solution.
Under Beall's direction, ability to analyze was a criterion
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: a count of the population and a property evaluation in early Rome
: a usually complete enumeration of a population; specifically : a periodic governmental enumeration of population
— census transitive verb
Examples of CENSUS
- According to the latest census, the racial makeup of the town has changed dramatically in the last 50 years.
- <a thorough census of all the grizzly bears living within the national park>
Origin of CENSUS
Latin, from censēre
First Known Use: 1634
Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms
census noun (Concise Encyclopedia)
Enumeration of people, houses, firms, or other important items in a country or region at a particular time. The first U.S. population census was taken in 1790 to establish a basis for representation in Congress. Censuses were taken in England, France, and Canada in 1801, 1836, and 1871, respectively. China was the last major country to report a census, in 1953. Census information is obtained by using a fixed questionnaire covering such topics as place of residence, sex, age, marital status, occupation, citizenship, language, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and education. From the responses demographers derive data on population distribution, household and family composition, internal migration, labor-force participation, and other topics. See also demography.
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up census? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). | <urn:uuid:fc61ae14-bd92-49a1-8248-04ec01c1ccbf> | {
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Pink and Blue Brains
Principal Sun Valley Primary School
Boys and Girls are totally equal, just not the same. In our society, rightly committed to equality, we sometimes confuse equality with sameness. Parents and teachers have to understand that boys and girls are developmentally, psychologically and biologically different. If our goal is to raise and educate successful adults, we have to know how to bring the best out of both of them.
There are many boys and girls who would cope in a Pink or a Blue learning environment. But the majority don’t. This does not imply that single-sex schooling is the answer, because it isn’t. What matters is a knowledge of how the brain embeds memory. Parent and teacher education is at the heart of this success story.
So what do we need to know?
The brain loves DRUGS. Yes, we have a natural pharmacy in our brains. Girls need the calming drug called serotonin. Every time we make our daughters feel unique we produce the good drug. When we compliment them on their dress or hair their brains produce serotonin. Talking, sharing their emotions, doing something with a group of friends, sitting around a table chatting produces serotonin. It is powerful drug that makes a young girl feel that she can face the challenges of life and memory is embedded.
Schools often create PINK learning spaces. PINK teachers get the children into a calm circle to discuss an issue, then send them off into neatly organised smaller groups to produce a product. Many boys find this unrewarding and take every opportunity to misbehave by either throwing an eraser at a friend or distracting a mate. Their product is often displayed alongside the PINK serotonin model highlighting the difference. PINK products are compared with BLUE products and PINK teachers awards recognition for the neat, colourful and impressive detail.
BLUE brains need dopamine. This is the REWARD drug – the “pumping air with fist” drug. “Oh yeah!” Every time a boys exercises, plays sport, skates, cycles, surfs, kicks a ball around the garden his body produces dopamine. It makes him feel as though he is …”The Man!” Competition produces dopamine as does setting a challenge for a boy. One of the biggest sources of dopamine production in the BLUE brain is recognition – specifically recognition from another man. Researchers call this a “charismatic adult – someone who knows my names and smiles in recognition of my value”. Instead boys are often highlighted for failure, for making mistakes or for doing it wrong. Even Dad’s are often annoyed by their sons, sending implied messages that they are not good enough, smart enough or talented enough. When this happens dopamine floods away from the male brain.
When the brain produces cortisol, the stress drug, it shuts down all high order processing and forces the survival brain to react. This reaction is often demonstrated by negative outbursts or a withdrawal into childhood sadness.
Let’s give our PINK and BLUE brains an EQUAL chance. Find activities that feed their brains with both the reward drug and the calming drug. Then the neurotransmitters will transport the information to their Chief Executive Officer and embed memory for long-term mastery. The result, successful adults who value themselves and produce high expectations.
About the blogger, Gavin Keller:
Principal – Sun Valley Primary
CEO: Sun Valley Group of Schools
Education Consultant – EduExcel
Our first Staffroom client, Gavin is a passionate educator and school leader who has used his research in neuro learning and leading to change a school and the community. He shares the practical application of his studies with schools, corporates and leaders in order to improve performance and the quality of life. His guidance is simple, humorous, but dynamic, a treat for all!
*** The views reflected in content or links on the Staffroom blog are not necessarily those of Eiffel Corp nor it’s affiliated products. Eiffel Corp expressly disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of any the content provided, or as to the authenticity of the information for any purpose. | <urn:uuid:8d57ee02-8a2b-4227-ac1d-5181c84a579c> | {
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BMW stole a march on some more ballyhooed electric-car programs by releasing an electric version of its Mini at the end of 2008. Where most of its competitors are engineering electric cars from scratch, the German automaker was able to adapt an existing electric drive system from California’s AC Propulsion to fit the Mini’s chassis. Five hundred of the cars are available for lease for a year, during which BMW will collect data about their use in preparation for a larger rollout.
Courtesy of BMW
Product: Mini E
Cost: $850 a month for a one-year lease, insurance included
Other products in this section:
AI and robotics are changing the future of work. Learn from the humans leading the way at EmTech Next 2019.Register now
We could still prevent 1.5 ˚C of warming—but we almost certainly won’t
New research finds we’d need to immediately stop building fossil-fuel-burning vehicles, planes, and factories.
We are starting to wreck the environment around our planet now, too
Our species’ environmental impact extends far beyond Earth. Now one scientist says it’s high time we thought more carefully about what we’re doing to near-Earth space.
The day I tasted climate change
Every one of us will have a moment when global warming gets personal. | <urn:uuid:184d4ab2-2711-4230-9673-d98c9090dd57> | {
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"Like" us to connect with other students, watch videos, see job offers and even get special discounts.
This term is frequently used in relation to English language teaching to refer to the techniques a teacher can use to ensure that the students provide the maximum amount of information during a lesson, rather than simply being told everything by the teacher. If done correctly, this process can draw a surprising amount of existing knowledge from within the student group that can then be developed further by the teacher. Vocabulary and grammar structures that are developed in this way are far more likely to be memorable to the student in the long term than language that is simply provided by the teacher alone. Using elicitation in the classroom can also lead to a more student focused environment which is generally more stimulating for the class as a whole.
Simple elicitation techniques include the use of visual items such as pictures, photographs, freehand drawing and real objects to draw vocabulary from the class. Other examples include using mime, dialogue and example sentences on the whiteboard to encourage the student’s input. | <urn:uuid:40c27b41-a8f5-43b5-aa3d-0438fb7c0ed7> | {
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April may have been the cruelest month for T.S. Eliot when he wrote "The Waste Land," but for me it's a month of significant anniversaries, including the 40th annual celebration of Earth Day.
Eliot, mind you, wrote his landmark poem as a tonic for a world crawling from the physical and spiritual wreckage of the First World War, and contrasted perhaps his most famous opening lines
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
nicely with the opening lines from the Prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales:"
Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
If one is to take Chaucer and Eliot at their respective words by believing that April is a time for pilgrimages and spiritual and physical rebirths, then it's appropriate that we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day during the same month. From a Christian poet's perspective, the number 40 is significant. Moses and the Israelites wandered in the desert the same amount of time before reaching their destination; God flooded the Earth with 40 days of torrential rains; and Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert prior to his trial and crucifixion. In each instance, the world was cleansed and made better. Likewise, in the 40 years since the first Earth Day, developed countries have experienced what is known as environmental transition, which refers to the massive cleanup of the messes that afforded us our unprecedented wealth and progress.
Prior to the inaugural Earth Day in 1970, we witnessed environmental catastrophes of nearly Biblical or World War proportions. Rivers caught on fire, whole species were on the brink of extinction and smog enveloped our cities. One could say a new breed of Man evolved from this morass, emboldened with the conservative spirit of preservation of our environment. It didn't matter that many environmentalists considered themselves anything but conservative, because what was most important was their dedication to conserving and nurturing those aspects of life that bring immediate aesthetic, spiritual and corporeal value to our lives - namely clean water and air flowing through and over landscapes uncluttered by signifiers of human immoderation. Chaucer's recognition of "aprill" as immediately realized rather than Eliot's hope of April as a harbinger of rebirth.
It was also 30 years ago this month that your writer performed his own pilgrimage of sorts by hitchhiking from Michigan as far west as Missoula, Mont. I recently had the opportunity to retrace my steps as far as Wyoming; although this time I had the luxury of driving. The most significant difference over the past 30 years was the prevalence of windmills dotting the hillsides and pastures, as well as the 20 to 30 semi-trucks laden with one turbine blade each that I passed along my route. One wonders, along with previously stated concerns, how long it would take before the construction and transportation of windmills becomes carbon neutral.
Commemorating another April anniversary, my association with the Mackinac Center began four years ago this month. This tenure has afforded the opportunity to communicate with hundreds of Michigan students and dozens of teachers through my role with MichiganScience. On speaking occasions to high school classes, I enjoy asking whether students feel our state's environment is better or worse off than it was 40, 50 or 60 years ago. Nearly every student believes that it is worse, reciting the barrage of endless media reports indicating the end of our environment is nigh.
While doomsday predictions might sell newspapers — or, considering the sad plight of that industry, perhaps not — and captivate television viewers, that assessment falls far wide of the mark. While wholeheartedly acknowledging that it's important to exercise due diligence concerning conservation of our environmental treasures and that remediation and protection are a necessary, continual process, it's also important to realize that we as a state and a nation have navigated our environmental transition quite effectively.
We have avoided "The Waste Land" and are well on our way to the return of the verdant spring depicted by Chaucer. Our state's environment is far better off than it was 40 years ago.
Bruce Edward Walker is managing editor of MichiganScience at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Mich. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the Center are properly cited. | <urn:uuid:8b66ee5f-474b-47aa-9da9-54c9a12e8e16> | {
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Agriculture & Global Climate Change: A Review of Impacts to U.S. Agricultural Resources
Agriculture & Global Climate Change: A Review of Impacts to U.S. Agricultural Resources
Prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change
Richard M. Adams, Oregon State University
Brian H. Hurd, Stratus Consulting Inc.
John Reilly, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Eileen Claussen, Executive Director, Pew Center on Global Climate Change
In order to intelligently respond to climate change, we must first understand the likely consequences on our environment and health. This report, the first in a series of environmental impact reports, will explore anticipated effects of climate change on U.S. agriculture. Other reports in this series will assess what is known about the impact of climate change on weather and include analyses of its impact on water resources, coastal areas, human health, ecosystems, and forests. In evaluating the current state of scientific knowledge regarding the anticipated effects of climate change on U.S. agriculture, this report yields several key observations:
AGRICULTURAL SHIFTS ARE LIKELY.
Climate change will result in agricultural shifts and changes across the United States. Given the requisite time and resources to adapt, the United States is likely to continue to be able to feed itself; however, there will clearly be regional winners and losers.
CURRENT PROJECTION SCOULD UNDERSTATE LONG-RANGE IMPACTS.
If the rate of greenhouse gas emissions exceeds projected levels or if unanticipated or more frequent extreme events accompany this change, the outlook for the United States would likely worsen. The projections in this report, for example, are based on a doubling of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere which could understate the severity of climate change impacts over the long-term.
GLOBAL IMPACTS COULD BE MORE PROFOUND.
Some countries will experience more negative effects on agriculture associated with climate change. The situation will be particularly acute in developing nations that do not have the same resources as the United States to respond to the agricultural changes projected.
This report broadly outlines projected effects on U.S. agricultural regions. The complexity of the climate system itself and its relationship to agricultural resources make it difficult to project specific effects on individual states or communities. More research is needed to better understand this complex system and to incorporate relevant factors into future climate models and assessments. The report does, however, provide an objective foundation upon which to build and clearly demonstrates the impact climate change will have, both direct and indirect, on U.S. agricultural systems.
In addition to reporting on the environmental impacts of climate change, the Pew Center undertakes analyses on domestic and international policy matters and economics. The Center was established in 1998 by the Pew Charitable Trusts to bring a new, cooperative approach and critical scientific, economic and technological expertise to the global climate change debate.
A number of major corporations have taken a bold and historic step in joining the Center's Business Environmental Leadership Council. In doing so, they have accepted "the views of most scientists that enough is known about the science and environmental impacts of climate change for us to take actions to address its consequences." Understanding the potential environmental impacts of climate change, as this report illustrates, is an important step toward promoting informed action.
This paper analyzes the current state of knowledge about the effects of climate change on U.S. food production and agricultural resources. The paper also considers regional changes in agricultural production, including distributional impacts.
The linkages between agriculture and climate are pronounced, often complex, and not always well understood. Temperature increases can have both positive and negative effects on crop yields, with the difference depending in part on location and on the magnitude of the increase. Crop yields in the northern United States and Canada may increase, but yields in the already warm, low-latitude regions of the southern United States are likely to decline. Evidence also suggests positive crop yield effects for mild to moderate temperature increases such as 2°C to 3°C (3.6°F to 5.4°F). However, once average global temperatures rise beyond about 4°C (7.2°F), yields begin to fall. Increases in precipitation level, timing, and variability may benefit semi-arid and other water-short areas by increasing soil moisture, but could aggravate problems in regions with excess water. Although most climate models predict precipitation increases, some regions will experience decreased precipitation, which could exacerbate water shortages and droughts. Higher carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in controlled experiments increase crop growth and decrease water use. However, these experiments often have demonstrated a more positive response than observed under actual field conditions.
Agricultural systems are most sensitive to extreme climatic events such as floods, wind storms, and droughts, and to seasonal variability such as periods of frost, cold temperatures, and changing rainfall patterns. Climate change could alter the frequency and magnitude of extreme events and could change seasonal patterns in both favorable and unfavorable ways, depending on regional conditions. Increases in rainfall intensity pose a threat to agriculture and the environment because heavy rainfall is primarily responsible for soil erosion, leaching of agricultural chemicals, and run off that carries livestock waste and nutrients into water bodies. Currently available climate forecasts cannot resolve how extreme events and variability will change; however, both are potential risks to agriculture. The rate of change is also uncertain. Adjustment costs are likely to be higher with greater rates of change.
Agricultural systems are managed. Farmers have a number of adaptation options open to them, such as changing planting and harvest dates, rotating crops, selecting crops and crop varieties for cultivation, consuming water for irrigation, using fertilizers, and choosing tillage practices. These adaptation strategies can lessen potential yield losses from climate change and improve yields in regions where climate change has beneficial effects. At the market level, price and other changes can signal further opportunities to adapt as farmers make decisions about land use and which crops to grow. Thus, patterns of food production respond not only to biophysical changes in crop and livestock productivity brought about by climate change or technological change, but also to changes in agricultural management practices, crop and livestock prices, the cost and availability of inputs, and government policies. In the longer term, adaptations include the development and use of new crop varieties that offer advantages under changed climates, or investments in new irrigation infrastructure as insurance against potentially less reliable rainfall. The extent to which opportunities for adaptation are realized depends upon a variety of factors such as information flow, access to capital, and the flexibility of government programs and policies.
Climate change can also have a number of negative indirect effects on agro-environmental systems effects that have been largely ignored in climate change assessments. These indirect effects include changes in the incidence and distribution of pests and pathogens, increased rates of soil erosion and degradation, and increased tropospheric ozone levels from rising temperatures. Regional shifts in crop production and expansion of irrigated acreage may stress environmental and natural resources, including water quantity and quality, wetlands, soil, fish, and wildlife.
The focus of this paper is on the impacts of climate change on agriculture. However, agriculture is also a potential source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it can play an important role in mitigating these emissions. Methane from rice paddies and livestock, nitrous oxide (N2O) from cultivated soils and feedlots, and CO2 from the cultivation of virgin agricultural lands and intensive production methods contribute to global warming. Changes in management can reduce emissions from these sources. Agriculture can reduce atmospheric CO2 through tree-planting and similar programs that sequester significant amounts of carbon and through increased planting of biofuel crops that could replace fossil fuels.
The following describes the current understanding regarding the potential impacts of climate change on U.S. agriculture:
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK ARE SENSITIVE TO CLIMATE CHANGES IN BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE WAYS. Understanding the direct biophysical and economic responses to these changes is complicated and requires more research. In addition, indirect effects - such as changes in pests and water quality and changes in extreme climate events - are not well understood.
THE EMERGING CONSENSUS FROM MODELING STUDIES IS THAT THE NET EFFECTS ON U.S. AGRICULTURE ASSOCIATED WITH ADOUBLING OF CO2 MAY BE SMALL; HOWEVER, REGIONAL CHANGES MAY BE SIGNIFICANT (I.E., THERE WILL BE SOME REGIONS THAT GAIN AND OTHERS THAT LOSE). Beyond a doubling of CO2 , the negative effects are more pronounced both in the United States and globally.
THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON U.S. AGRICULTURE IS MIXED. Climate change is not expected to threaten the ability of the United States to produce enough food to feed itself through the next century; however, regional patterns of production are likely to change. Regions such as the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes may have increased productivity while the Southern Plains, Delta states, and possibly the Southeast and portions of the Corn Belt could see agricultural productivity fall. However, the form and pattern of change are uncertain because changes in regional climate cannot be predicted with a high degree of confidence.
CONSIDERATION OF ADAPTATION AND HUMAN RESPONSE IS CRITICAL TO THE ACCURATE AND CREDIBLE ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS.However, because of the long time horizons involved in climate change assessments and uncertainties concerning the rate at which climate will change, it is difficult to predict accurately what adaptations people will make. This is particularly challenging since adaptations are influenced by many factors, including government policy, prices, technology research and development, and agricultural extension services.
BETTER CLIMATE CHANGE FORECASTS ARE KEY TO IMPROVE DASSESSMENTS OF THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. In the meantime, farmers and the agricultural community must consider strategies that are economically and environmentally viable in the face of uncertainty about the course of climate change.
AGRICULTURE IS A SECTOR THAT CAN ADAPT, BUT THERE ARE SOME FACTORS NOT INCLUDED IN ASSESSMENTS THAT COULD CHANGE THIS CONCLUSION.Changes in the incidence and severity of agricultural pests, diseases, soil erosion, and tropospheric ozone levels, as well as changes in extreme events such as droughts and floods, are largely unmeasured or uncertain and have not been incorporated into estimates of impacts. These omitted effects could result in a very different assessment of the true impacts of climate change on agriculture. If the rate or magnitude of climate change is much greater than anticipated, adaptation could be more difficult and impacts could be greater than currently expected.
Overall, the consensus of economic assessments is that global climate change of the magnitudes currently being discussed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other organizations (i.e., +0.8°C to +4.5°C or +1.4°F to +8.1°F) could result in some lowering of global production but will have only a small overall effect on U.S. agriculture and its ability to provide sufficient food and fiber to both domestic and global customers over the next 100 years. However, distributional effects within the United States can be significant because consumers, producers, and local economies will gain in some regions and lose in others.
Warming beyond that reflected in current studies (i.e., associated with a continued rise in CO2 beyond the doubling that has been commonly investigated) is expected to impose greater costs, decreasing agricultural production in most areas of the United States and substantially limiting global production. This reinforces the need to determine the magnitude and rate of warming that may accompany the CO2 and greenhouse gas build-up currently underway in the atmosphere.
About the Authors
Richard M. Adams
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Richard M. Adams received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis, in 1975. He is currently a professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Oregon State University, a position he has held since 1983. His research interests include the economic analysis of resource and environmental issues, with emphasis on the consequences of environmental change. Professor Adams has served on numerous governmental advisory and research committees dealing with environmental issues. He has published over 160 journal articles, book chapters and research reports, including 20 on the effects of climate change on agriculture and agricultural resources. He has served on the editorial boards of five journals and w as editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics from 1992 to 1994.
Brian H. Hurd
Stratus Consulting Inc., Boulder, CO
Brian H. Hurd is a Senior Associate in the climate change group at Stratus Consulting, a Boulder-based environment and energy research firm. He received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of California, Davis in 1992, where he analyzed technology changes in production agriculture. His passion for interdisciplinary research and for contributing to public decision-making regarding natural resources has led to his current focus on climate change. He has developed regional and national models of water resource impacts, analyzed land use changes in forestry and agriculture, and investigated adaptation and mitigation strategies, while serving a variety of public- and private-sector clients such as U.S. EPA, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, National Institute for Global Environmental Change, and the Electric Power Research Institute.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Dr. Reilly is the Associate Director for Research in the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He spent 12 years with the Economic Research Service of USDA, most recently as the Acting Director and Deputy Director for Research of the Resource Economics Division. He has been a scientist with Battelle's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and with the Institute for Energy Analysis, Oak Ridge Associated Universities. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 and holds a BS in economics and political science from the University of Wisconsin. He has conducted research on the economics of climate change for 19 years. He was a principal author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Second Assessment Report and has served on many Federal government and international committees on climate change and agricultural research. | <urn:uuid:ce05b89a-aa8c-410e-9061-cc9131fa8431> | {
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CHICAGO – The June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association contains articles and research studies you may find of interest. Below is a summary of some of this month's articles. For more information or to receive a copy of a Journal article, e-mail [email protected].
"Freshman 15" May Be More Like "Freshman 5"
The "Freshman 15," the notion that students gain 15 pounds during their first year of college, may overstate students' actual weight gain, according to researchers at the University of Guelph, Canada. In a sample of 116 first-year female students, the average weight gain was 5.29 pounds.
While the students reported gaining less weight than the "Freshman 15," the researchers point out: "It is important to recognize that the increase of 5.29 lbs. occurred over a period of just six to seven months…Weight gain at this rate over an extended period of time could lead to overweight/obesity and is certainly cause for concern."
The students completed a dietary assessment using diet and lifestyle questions adapted from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (Canada) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
The study found students reported increases in their body mass index from an average of 22.3 to 23.1; average percent body fat went from 23.8 to 25.6; and average waist circumference increased from 30.27 to 31.25 inches.
The proportion of participants with BMI measurements classified as either normal or underweight decreased from 79 to 75 percent and from eight to six percent, respectively. The proportion of students who were classified as overweight (BMI above 25) increased from 15 percent to 22 percent, while those who were obese (BMI at or above 30) remained constant at 3 percent.
Employees' Attitudes Affect Restaurants' Food Safety Practices
The attitudes of foodservice workers toward safety practices have a direct effect on foodborne illness occurrences in restaurants, according to researchers from Kansas State University.
The researchers surveyed 190 foodservice employees in 31 restaurants across three Midwestern states on their knowledge of and attitude toward three food safety measures that have the most substantial impact on public health: hand washing, using thermometers and proper handling of food contact surfaces. Only employees whose jobs directly involved food preparation tasks participated.
The researchers conclude that providing workers with training that does not target their attitudes may not improve food safety results. "While emphasis should be placed on training, it is also important to educate employees regarding positive outcomes of food safety such as decreasing patrons' risk of food borne illness, reducing the spread of microorganisms and keeping the work environment clean."
Additional research articles in the June Journal of the American Dietetic Association include:
The Journal of the American Dietetic Association is the official research publication of the American Dietetic Association and is the premier peer-reviewed journal in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
The American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system. | <urn:uuid:0ef8763d-e4e3-41c8-9f79-19dac9f81283> | {
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By the late 1960s, hunting had reduced the number of saltwater crocodiles in Australia's Northern Territory to around 500. Since then, a pioneering research and conservation programme has brought about a dramatic recovery. Today around 70,000 wild saltwater crocodiles live in the region. How do you persuade people to conserve dangerous animals that can kill cattle and even people? Grahame Webb, who has been working to conserve the animals for 30 years, thinks it's possible only if you give people an incentive to tolerate them - such as by allowing safari hunting. He tells Emma Young about his experiences with Australia's most notorious predator
What do you find so appealing about crocodiles?
People often ask whether I love crocodiles. The answer is no. But I admire them greatly. The more you work with them, the more you start to appreciate that they are tough, tenacious survivors. They have horrific fights ...
To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content. | <urn:uuid:6f5ffe09-64c8-48a8-a3c6-a2899667a1cb> | {
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About this artwork
The son of German immigrants, Lyonel Feininger was born in New York and moved to Germany in 1887. By the 1890s, he had become an accomplished cartoonist (his series Wee Willie Winkie’s World and Kin-der-Kids ran for years in many newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune). Feininger began to paint in 1907 and quickly became associated with the German Expressionists. He taught at the famed art school the Bauhaus until the Nazis closed it in 1933; four years later, he left Germany for the United States.
Feininger’s 1911 Carnival in Arcueil is important not only for the considerable skill it exhibits but also for the way it combines past and future interests of the artist. Feininger spent several months each year in the French city of Arcueil. Depicting its famed Roman viaduct soaring over a row of tall, narrow houses, the composition reveals a fascination with architectural forms that would continue throughout the artist’s life. Against this expressive, colorful backdrop, Feininger set a scene of revelry. With their elongated and angular bodies, whimsical costumes, and antic behavior, the fantastic characters in the foreground—like the toy figures and houses Feininger fashioned at the same time—are rooted in the artist’s cartooning, in which he was then still involved. While his subsequent work retains the elegance of draftsmanship and keen sense of observation he developed as a cartoonist, Feininger became increasingly committed to expressing universal and spiritual ideas in the color-saturated meditations on architecture, landscapes, and sea scenes for which he is now best known.
—Entry, Master Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago, 2013, p.106.
This is one of a group of recently rediscovered early masterpieces by Lyonel Feininger that had been left behind when the artist and his family were forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1937 for the United States. For over forty years, this group of roughly fifty pictures remained unknown and inaccessible in the East German home of the friend in whose custody Feininger had left them. Only after a prolonged legal battle were all but three of the pictures finally returned to the artist’s heirs in 1984 and exhibited as a group in 1985.
This picture reveals an artist of remarkable maturity and vision, despite the fact that Feininger had not turned seriously to painting until 1907. It was only then that improved financial circumstances allowed him to give up his successful career as a cartoonist. The setting for this painting is the town of Arcueil, south of Paris, where Feininger spent several months a year from 1906 to 1912. Its majestic viaduct became a frequent subject in the artist’s drawings starting as early as 1908. His intense interest in architecture, which was to remain constant in Feininger’s work, is apparent here not only in the use of the viaduct but also in the brilliantly colored block of houses in the middle ground. It may have been reinforced at this time by his interest in Robert Delaunay’s work, in which architectural subjects likewise plays a primary role.
Feininger’s early admiration for Vincent van Gogh seems evident in the heavily impastoed surface and in the use of highly saturated colors, especially yellow, which in the row of houses is beautifully modulated by touches of pink, green, and orange. Also reminiscent of van Gogh are the animated, billowing contours of the houses’ rooftops, which in turn echo the sweeping movement of the clouds. Against this dramatic backdrop, Feininger deployed a motley crew of grotesque and vaguely sinister characters, some of whom recall Feininger’s earlier cartoons. With their vividly colored costumes, these figures create a striking counterpoint to the dominant yellow of the background. But the ultimate impression is one of dissonance between the grandeur and beauty of the town’s architecture and the bombastic artificiality of its inhabitants.
—Entry, Margherita Andreotti, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, Vol. 20, No. 2, The Joseph Winterbotham Collection at The Art Institute of Chicago (1994), p. 144-145.
- , Gallery 392
- Lyonel Feininger
- Carnival in Arcueil
- United States
- Oil on canvas
- 41 1/4 × 37 3/4 in. (104.8 × 95.9 cm)
- Joseph Winterbotham Collection
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(BPT) - From annoying itchy welts to serious conditions like Malaria and West Nile virus, mosquitoes have been making humans miserable and sick for thousands of years. And now, there’s Zika — a mosquito-spread virus that may be linked to serious birth defects. In fact, according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the diseases mosquitoes spread make them the deadliest animal on the planet.
The arrival of warm weather means it’s time to step up your mosquito prevention and protection efforts in order to help protect your family. The National Pest Management Association offers some information that can help:
* The type of mosquito that transmits Zika bites during the daytime hours. Most other types of mosquitoes bite during dusk and dawn.
* Within the U.S., mosquitoes have been known to spread West Nile virus, Chikungunya, and encephalitis-causing viruses in humans, and heartworms in dogs.
* Mosquitoes spread disease when they bite one person, fly to another and bite again, spreading the infection. What many people don’t realize is that the saliva from the mosquito’s bite causes the red, itchy irritation that we all know so well.
The NPMA recommends some ways you can help reduce your exposure to mosquitoes:
* Eliminate breeding areas — Mosquitoes need only about a half-inch of standing water in which to lay their eggs. Get rid of any stagnant water around your home, such as flower pots, bird baths, kiddie pools and standing water in low areas of your yard.
* Use repellent — Whenever you spend time outside, protect your skin from mosquito bites by applying an insect repellent that contains at least 20 percent DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon-eucalyptus. Also, consider wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirts and closed-toe shoes.
* Be aware of the time of day — Mosquitoes are most active around dawn and dusk, although the variety that transmits Zika prefers to bite during the day. Minimize outside activity during peak biting hours, or, if you must be outside, wear long sleeves, pants and repellent to thwart mosquitoes.
* Watch what you wear — Dark colors, floral prints and sweet-smelling perfumes or colognes can attract mosquitoes to you. Wear light colors and forego perfume when spending time outside.
* Protect your house — Screens help keep mosquitoes out of your house. Be sure all windows and doors are outfitted with screens, and that all are in good shape. Repair tears to keep mosquitoes from getting inside.
* Travel wisely — Mosquito-borne diseases that may be rare in the U.S. are common in many foreign countries, so if your summer vacation will take you outside the country, check what travel advisories may be in effect in your destination. If someone gets sick upon returning home, seek medical care immediately.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts at control, mosquitoes on your property can still be a problem. A licensed pest control professional can help you manage mosquitoes. To find a professional near you, visit the NPMA’s website at pestworld.org. | <urn:uuid:b5e2df40-4e3b-43d6-b0e2-3b37cbe2f4f4> | {
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- Text smaller
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Will human clones have a soul? This question is producing a great deal of anxiety these days, especially since Great Britain, Holland and now New Jersey have legalized the cloning of human beings. Obviously, before answering whether or not a human clone will have a soul, we must define what a “soul” really is.
Unfortunately, science has not yet provided a way to answer this question. Rather, this is a question traditionally answered by theologians. For example, the Bible teaches that a person is characterized as a “living being” (Gen 2:7) with a transcendent component called spirit or soul. The spirit is the part that lives on after the body dies. Also according to the Bible, the body without the spirit is dead (James 2:26). It is therefore reasonable, at least to my way of thinking, that once we are physically alive we are also a living soul.
This then brings us to the age-old question “When does life begin?” For that answer we can safely turn to science and medicine where the answer exists without debate. Science and medicine tell us that we are physically alive and fully human from the moment of conception – forming a complete (though immature) individual that is sexually distinct with the ability to self-direct our own growth and development.
Would a clone, then, have a soul? The answer is yes. Unquestionably, a child created by any means, whether natural or artificial, is still completely human. For example, would anyone hold that a child conceived by in vitro fertilization, or ivf, is deprived of a soul? If that were true and a soul-filled human being could only be produced by traditional and natural means, much of the world’s population would be lacking a soul and consequently be sub-human.
Similarly, human cloning can most easily be understood as a form of artificial reproduction much like ivf. In effect, cloning is the artificial production of identical twins separated by time and an alternative gestational environment. Therefore, in the same way that identical twins or identical triplets each have their own soul, so will a cloned human.
Even though twins or cloned humans will have identical genetic makeup, there is no doubt that a personal identity is determined by far more than their genetic material.
Cloned human beings will in fact be even less similar than identical twins because while clones share the same nuclear DNA, identical twins have the same nuclear DNA, the same mitochondrial DNA, and they share the same conditions during the period of gestation.
Of course, this exposition is not intended to advocate human cloning. To the contrary, human cloning is nothing short of human experimentation. The success rate of cloning animals ranges from 0.1 to 3 percent. This means for every 1,000 tries, there are between 970 and 999 failed attempts. Of those born, problems often occur later in development.
Additonally, there is an inherent devaluation of human life in the mechanical processing and mass production of embryos created by any artificial means. This is easily evidenced by the more than 400,000 neglected and forgotten embryos held in frozen storage in our ivf faciltites.
Finally, unlike other ivf procedures that mimic natural conception through technology, cloning endeavors to create life through a procedure that is completely unnatural. Cloning creates a new life from the genetic material of a single individual rather than two people. In this attempt, man is not merely trying to mimic God’s creative genius; rather, he is attempting to replace God as the giver of life through a unique process of his own making.
So although human cloning is fundamentally immoral, we can safely conclude that cloned human beings if created will have their own soul and would be deserving of all the same dignity and respect given to any other human life. | <urn:uuid:f0ee888b-3d5d-4ef8-bac9-e0cbe7dc2259> | {
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Generally, if divers need help, they signal for it. Sometimes, divers can have minor problems that they can correct themselves. You can ask them if they are OK when you see them doing something out of the ordinary.
Divers with serious problems will be noticeably panicky. Panicked divers may fear drowning and exhibit the following behaviors:
- Struggling to hold their heads high above the water, using lots of energy in their movement
- Forgetting to establish positive buoyancy
- Spitting out the mouthpiece
- Taking their masks off or shoving the masks to the top of their heads
- Breathing rapidly
- Taking no notice of instructions
These divers require immediate help because they will continue to struggle until they become exhausted and unable to stay afloat. | <urn:uuid:11999b8e-52cc-4384-8ab1-f2eaccd72e30> | {
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Article about Education at a Glance
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Land is currently depending where it is located and on which type of property is it. The interpretation of grades has lots of variation. It’s a small quantity of money it’s still regarded as a capital. | <urn:uuid:db4d261e-45af-4f5a-8dd5-a2fb4fc0c276> | {
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In geometry, the tangent line (or simply the tangent) to a curve at a given point is the straight line that "just touches" the curve at that point (in the sense explained more precisely below). As it passes through the point of tangency, the tangent line is "going in the same direction" as the curve, and in this sense it is the best straight-line approximation to the curve at that point. The same definition applies to space curves and curves in n-dimensional Euclidean space.
In a similar way, the tangent plane to a surface at a given point is the plane that "just touches" the surface at that point. The concept of a tangent is one of the most fundamental notions in differential geometry and has been extensively generalized — see Tangent space.
The word "tangent" comes from the Latin tangere, meaning "to touch".
Tangent line to a curve
The intuitive notion that a tangent "just touches" a curve can be made more explicit by considering the sequence of straight lines ( secant lines) passing through two points, A and B, that lie on the curve. The tangent at A is the limit of the progression of secant lines as B moves ever closer to A. The existence and uniqueness of the tangent line depends on a certain type of mathematical smoothness, known as "differentiability". For example, if two circular arcs meet at a sharp point (a vertex) then there is no uniquely defined tangent at the vertex because the limit of the progression of secant lines depends on the direction in which "point B" approaches the vertex.
In most cases commonly encountered, the tangent to a curve does not cross the curve at the point of tangency (though it may, when continued, cross the curve at other places away from the point of tangency). This is true, for example, of all tangents to a circle or a parabola. However, at exceptional points called inflection points, the tangent line does cross the curve at the point of tangency. An example is the point (0,0) on the graph of the cubic parabola y = x3.
Conversely, it may happen that the curve lies entirely on one side of a straight line passing through a point on it, and yet this straight line is not a tangent line. This is the case, for example, for a line passing through the vertex of a triangle and not interecting the triangle — where the tangent line does not exist for the reasons explained above. In convex geometry, such lines are called supporting lines.
The geometric idea of the tangent line as the limit of secant lines serves as the motivation for analytical methods that are used to find tangent lines explicitly. The question of finding the tangent line to a graph, or the tangent line problem, was one of the central questions leading to the development of calculus in the 17th century. In the second book of his Geometry René Descartes said of the problem of constructing the tangent to a curve, "And I dare say that this is not only the most useful and most general problem in geometry that I know, but even that I have ever desired to know."
Suppose that a curve is given as the graph of a function, y = f(x). To find the tangent line at the point p = (a, f(a)), consider another nearby point q = (a + h, f(a + h)) on the curve. The slope of the secant line passing through p and q is equal to the difference quotient
As the point q approaches p, which corresponds to making h smaller and smaller, the difference quotient should approach a certain limiting value k, which is the slope of the tangent line at the point p. If k is known, the equation of the tangent line can be found in the point-slope form:
More rigorous description
To make the preceding reasoning rigorous, one has to explain what is meant by the difference quotient approaching a certain limiting value k. The precise mathematical formulation was given by Cauchy in the 19th century and is based on the notion of limit. Suppose that the graph does not have a break or a sharp edge at p and it is neither plumb nor too wiggly near p. Then there is a unique value of k such that as h approaches 0, the difference quotient gets closer and closer to k, and the distance between them becomes negligible compared with the size of h, if h is small enough. This leads to the definition of the slope of the tangent line to the graph as the limit of the difference quotients for the function f. This limit is the derivative of the function f at x = a, denoted f ′(a). Using derivatives, the equation of the tangent line can be stated as follows:
Calculus provides rules for computing the derivatives of functions that are given by formulas, such as the power function, trigonometric functions, exponential function, logarithm, and their various combinations. Thus equations of the tangents to graphs of all these functions, as well as many others, can be found by the methods of calculus.
When the method fails
Calculus also demonstrates that there are functions and points on their graphs for which the limit determining the slope of the tangent line does not exist. For these points the function f is non-differentiable. There are two possible reasons for the method of finding the tangents based on the limits and derivatives to fail: either the geometric tangent exists, but it is a vertical line, which cannot be given in the point-slope form since it does not have a slope, or the graph is too badly behaved to admit a geometric tangent.
The graph y = x1/3 illustrates the first possibility: here the difference quotient at a = 0 is equal to h1/3/h = h− 2/3, which becomes very large as h approaches 0. The tangent line to this curve at the origin is vertical.
The graph y = |x| of the absolute value function consists of two straight lines with different slopes joined at the origin. As a point q approaches the origin from the right, the secant line always has slope 1. As a point q approaches the origin from the left, the secant line always has slope −1. Therefore, there is no unique tangent to the graph at the origin (although in a certain sense, there are two half-tangents, corresponding to two possible directions of approaching the origin).
Two circles, with radii of ri and centers at (xi , yi), for i=1, 2 are said to be tangent to each other if
Surfaces and higher-dimensional manifolds
The tangent plane to a surface at a given point p is defined in an analogous way to the tangent line in the case of curves. It is the best approximation of the surface by a plane at p, and can be obtained as the limiting position of the planes passing through 3 distinct points on the surface close to p as these points converge to p. More generally, there is a k-dimensional tangent space at each point of a k-dimensional manifold in the n-dimensional Euclidean space. | <urn:uuid:a90ab19a-b066-4e74-b7e7-bad3bd524723> | {
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